Tell Me I'm Crazy
by WitchyGirl99
Summary: Basically, Kagome is really attractive and all he can claim for sure is that he's straddling the line between drunk and hung over at the base of a tree in which she thought he perished under. Inuyasha's never been one for good first impressions. OR: The fraternity AU no one asked for but got anyways. InuKag MirSan
1. Part I

**Author's Note:** No, this isn't an illusion. Hello, my lovelies!

 **Dedication:** To LiaSango - who for some reason, has always believed in me.

 **Notes About This Story:** If you're looking for a story that has plot twists, love triangles and explosions, you've come to the wrong place. If you're looking for a plot beyond "emotionally constipated male seeks female who puts up with way too much shit," then again, you're in the wrong place. If you _are_ looking for fluff, swearing, nearly naked Naraku doing yoga, utter shenanigans, Kouga and Inuyasha sharing a deep bro-like bond that defies time and space, awkward people in awkward situations, a fraternity that isn't a fraternity at all, and a love that can't be tamed-

Then welcome. Pull up a chair, my friend.

 **Updates will be weekly, unless otherwise indicated.**

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part I**

* * *

"What the actual fuck."

If Inuyasha Taisho could die in a freak accident involving the great Mother Nature, this would be the moment for the universe to give consideration.

"Ah! I'm– I'm sorry! I thought–"

As far as first impressions go, this is a bad one.

"Just because I'm outside–"

"You've been here since _last night_!'

…Ah, well. That explains the distinct chill in his bones and the fact that he feels a little wet everywhere. He's heard that happens to people who sleep outside. He's never done it, not even to go camping, so he can't really say for sure. Apparently, he decided sleeping outdoors was for the best in his drunken stupor. Fantastic.

He tries to save face. "That means nothing, really, at this school–"

"You could have been hurt–"

"Stop yelling over me, you fucking crazy–"

"I thought you were _dead_!"

Back to first impressions, then. This? Is bad. Crazy bad. Psycho-ex-wife-has-your-dick-in-a-vise bad. Presumed dead, smelling of alcohol, found under a tree after sleeping outside all night and hung over as fuck? Bad. That shit's _no bueno_.

Inuyasha's face suddenly goes blank at the flustered, horrifyingly genuine look on the face of the woman before him. Like him, she has long black hair though her eyes are far darker. Her skin is smooth, unblemished and rather porcelain-like. She's not wearing anything but comfortable-looking clothes, but even from his position on the ground he can see that she has a great body. Tall hips, curvy, though she looks short even bent over him like she is – which, _great_ , cleavage.

Basically, she's really fucking attractive and all he can claim for sure is that he's straddling the line between drunk and hung over at the base of a tree in which she thought he had perished under.

"Well," he mutters finally, awkward considering the long pause of their confused staring. "As you can see, I'm alive."

The black-haired woman nods once, final, then continues to stare.

"Uh…"

"I'm Kagome," she says, in such a fumbling rush that she actually blushes a little. "Sorry I thought you were– Well, you know."

"I'm not," he repeats, rather unnecessarily. It's a little depressing.

Kagome laughs – the kind of laugh that awkwardness makes choppy but is disgustingly genuine – before straightening herself and brushing at her jeans. "Great then."

"Great," he mimics.

Kagome stares at him for a little longer, her blush rising once more before she does an odd, galloping side-step away.

His brain finally decides to start processing properly, which doesn't explain the way he blurts out his name to her retreating back. "I'm Inuyasha."

Kagome freezes but when she turns around there's a small smile playing at her lips. "Nice to know you're alive."

He scowls, running a hand through his dark hair. "You need to let that go."

"You were sleeping under a tree. You hadn't moved in at least eight hours." Kagome's no longer blushing but her eyebrow is raised. Suddenly, the bashful and awkward woman is gone; saying his name must have levelled the playing field. He mostly regrets it now.

"It's peaceful," he snaps, unreasonably. He knows it but given the annoying circumstances that got him into this situation there's no other way his brain is allowing him to act. The annoying circumstances, of course, being that Miroku is an asshole who allowed him to sleep under a tree.

Kagome must see this – or at least partly gets it – because she throws her hands up in surrender. "I'm just about to get some coffee. Want some?"

The idea sounds wonderful. His body nearly cries tears of joy at the suggestion. He scowls again. "I'm fine."

"Clearly." The tiny smile never leaves. "Well, that was the offer." Again, she turns around to leave.

And just like last time, his brain once again gets its stupid act together. His best friend, Miroku, always tells him how rude he is on the best of days. Technically, she didn't do anything wrong. She was checking to make sure he was still breathing. Given that he had been drunkenly sleeping somewhat dejectedly under a tree in the middle of campus – for over eight hours he had now learned – it was reasonable to guess he may be indisposed of. Should he have been less rude? Maybe. Is he a bit of a dick? That, at least, is relatively well-known. Technically, another person with that knowledge is more power to the people.

His hangover isn't bad considering the long sleep, but still he gets up and looks into the distance. Kagome is already out of his line of sight so it should be safe. Hopefully by the time he gets to campus – and to the only decent coffee place – she would be long gone.

* * *

She isn't long gone. Motherfucker.

In actuality, this Kagome woman is the slowest walker in the world because the moment he steps in the coffee place, two things are immediately apparent: one, the lineup for ordering literally stretches right to the door; and two, Kagome is the last person in line directly in front of him. Instinct has him stepping backwards to leave – _not_ flee – but those dark eyes are already staring at him. The infuriating eyebrow is raised in position. "It's not what it looks like," he says, stupidly. He must have drank more than he thought since even though he doesn't feel like his brain was hit with a baseball bat, it clearly was.

Kagome shrugs and turns back around. "Okay, Inuyasha."

His name sounds ridiculous coming from her lips. Inuyasha strangely wants to hear it again. "Mere coincidence," he continues, quietly. "All I want is a large dark roast so I can caffeinate this nightmare away." He really needs to stop opening his mouth. Honestly. Luckily for him, there's no response.

Eventually they make it to the counter. There are two cashiers taking orders but while Kagome's is being fulfilled, there's a jackass ordering for what seems like his entire class. Kagome leaves with a coffee in hand and goes to the counter to wait for her food. Inuyasha reminds himself to _not_ be creepy and goes to place his order.

"Large dark, one cream," he sighs, studiously ignoring the black-haired woman to his right.

The cashier smiles politely and gets the drink prepared, handing it over without flourish. "Your coffee was already paid for, so you can have a nice day."

Inuyasha stands there, coffee in hand but still resting on the countertop. He sighs again. "You're fucking with me."

Looking taken aback, the cashier slowly recovers enough to shake his head. "I really hope not."

Inuyasha sighs and turns. Kagome is no longer waiting but instead he finds her sitting at a table in the corner. He's walking over there before he makes the conscious decision to do so.

Kagome, for all her flustered blushing act earlier, doesn't even look up at him now. She's just eating some egg croissant thing that makes his sad stomach growl. Irrationally, his mouth wants to do the same. "I hate you," he announces, sitting across from her and glowering.

For a moment, the brown-eyed woman looks offended and Inuyasha thinks to himself, _finally_. Then it's gone and replaced by amusement, which– _no._ "Who are you?" he asks bluntly. "The Devil? Did my brother put you up to this?"

Kagome shrugs. "I don't think I'm the Devil, but I would assume I wouldn't tell a pion like you unless you were about to sell your soul to me. Did you want to sell your soul?"

Inuyasha just stares, horrified.

She continues on like a freight train. "So no. Also, no – to the brother thing."

"Did you use the word 'pion' in an actual sentence?"

Finally, the small smile returns to her face. It doesn't make Inuyasha feel any better but he sits lower in his seat, settles. "Typically, that is where words go."

He takes a sip of his coffee, still too hot but he enjoys it anyway for the future relief it will bring. He waits, wondering if the woman before him will speak. It seems doubtful with the breakfast sandwich in her hands, currently being devoured. "Are you in a hurry?" Inuyasha blinks and wonders why the hell he would ask that. Why would he even care?

Kagome nods, still chewing. She takes a sip of her own drink before answering. "I've got class soon."

Which means in half an hour, given how the schedules are. Inuyasha tilts his head. "Freshman?"

"Nope," she replies, over exaggerating the 'p'. "Second year. What about you?"

"Third."

Kagome makes a face but covers it with another sip. "What made you sleep under a tree last night?"

"Alcohol," Inuyasha replies, shrugging. "There's this guy I know, who claims to be my best friend but he's apparently an asshole and allowed whatever the fuck happened last night."

"Do you think maybe he didn't expect such a high level of whatever-the-fuck to happen?" Kagome asks, not even fazed by his words. "It is a Wednesday morning."

Which means that he got absolutely shit-faced on a random Tuesday night, a solid month into the school year. It was Kouga's birthday yesterday though so the power of Corner House compelled them. There were over forty people in their place last night, boozing away. Living in Corner House, known for the last three decades as the 'Frat House That Didn't Belong to a Fraternity' means there are a lot of parties. Inuyasha is fond of his roommates, even goddamn Naraku who he wants to stab to death most days, and getting into that house last year was his biggest accomplishment to date.

He doesn't say that out loud though.

"There was a thing," he says, grimacing and taking another sip of coffee. Jesus fucking Christ it needs to wake him up faster.

"Uh-huh."

"Birthday," he further explains, which, why the fuck is he even trying? He doesn't know this girl. He doesn't owe her shit. She can be as judgmental as she wants, with her stupid raised eyebrow and permanent amusement. Inuyasha is a strong, independent man who doesn't need no–

He takes another sip of his coffee and prays for death.

"What's your major?" Kagome asks, out of the blue. She's looking at her sandwich rather than his face though, so maybe she feels as awkward as he does.

"Poli-sci." _Political science_ has too many syllables at the moment. "You?"

"Communications."

Inuyasha smirks. "Do you communicate well?"

Kagome simply stares at him, looking almost disappointed. "While this has been fun, I have to go to class. You know, to learn how to _communicate_."

"Good idea."

"Try not to sleep under any more trees."

Inuyasha scowls, glaring at her. "You're going to have to let that shit go."

"You were drunk on a Tuesday night."

"There was a birthday!" he tries.

And fails, since Kagome just shakes her head at him, the corner of her mouth slightly twitching upwards. "Whatever you have to tell yourself."

Seriously, this woman is pissing him off. She's not even saying anything cruel or cutting – frankly, kindergarteners are meaner – but something about her tone of voice irritates the ever-loving fuck out of him. He wants to strangle her or kiss her or–

Huh.

Well then.

"Maybe you should come to a class of mine," Kagome says, too casually, "considering from the look on your face you've been trying to yell at me for the past minute and a half and can't get past the part where you open your mouth."

"You–"

"Feel better, Inuyasha," Kagome says cheerfully, waving as she walks away.

And, like any victim of a female tornado who invades into a man's life like a fucking tsunami and leaves a trail of destruction–

Inuyasha sighs explosively, lowers his head onto the table, and prays for more coffee. With metaphors as awful and mixed as that, he may as well just wait for death.

* * *

Miroku is the worst best friend in the history of ever.

"Oh good," his not-friend says, setting the timer on the microwave after glancing his way. "You're alive."

"No thanks to you," Inuyasha snaps. He had caved and bought another large coffee. So far, he isn't finding any noticeable relief. It's like the universe is trying to tell him something. Or his liver is.

"I _tried_ , man," Miroku sighs. He blinks at him with those stupid baby-blue orbs and pouts, like a goddamn child. "I practically begged you to stay but _no_ , you wanted to go out and have an _adventure_."

"Adventure," Inuyasha repeats, slowly. He has to be sure.

"Yeah, an adventure, you jackass. You and your best friend–"

"Don't say it."

Miroku grins. "Your best friend, Kouga."

He had been proud of the fact he wasn't at all nauseous this morning. The feeling practically overwhelms him now. "Ugh."

Miroku starts giggling like the twelve year-old girl he is, ignoring the glare Inuyasha sends his way. "The two of you are the fucking best. You can barely be in the same room sober but get some beer in you and the two of you are star-crossed lovers or some shit."

"I'm leaving now. You're the worst."

"Running into Kouga's arms, are you?" Miroku chirps at him while he walks away. "Why don't you both go for a romantic daytime stroll–"

"Go fuck yourself," Inuyasha yells, flipping him off without even looking back. He almost makes it out of the kitchen too but is quickly deterred by the last person he ever wanted to see. "Just waking up, asshole?"

Kouga grunts at him, shouldering by with his stupid muscles. Inuyasha hates him with a fiery passion. Something about him just rubs him the wrong way, by which he means irritates him because there sure as fuck isn't any actual rubbing going on between them.

"Morning, princess," Miroku coos, cackling with glee when Kouga groans at the sound of the microwave beeping. "There's Advil in the cupboard."

"What time is it?" he asks, scratching at his head and making his stupid long, stupid brown hair even worse. What with his stupid muscles and his stupid smile that all the girls fucking love as he plays the stupidest game in the goddamn world–

"A bit after eleven," Miroku answers, distracting him.

"Damn." Kouga sighs, as if the world has wronged him. "I actually like that class."

"You mean you like some chick in there you're trying to bang." Miroku wags a finger at him. "You're not subtle."

"More like a fucking elephant," Inuyasha mutters, a little disappointed that his nemesis-by-day didn't hear him over the sound of cupboards opening and closing.

Finally with the prized ibuprofen in hand, Kouga grins. "Your words, not mine. Now, please tell me you have fucking coffee somewhere."

Inuyasha counts to three and then turns on his heel to leave. His best friend is a traitor and Kouga is the ugliest fuck to have ever lived. They are not star-crossed lovers via beer goggles, no matter what his so-called best friend says.

He hates everyone, basically. What a time to be alive.

* * *

In all honesty, he kind of forgets about Kagome.

Well, that's a lie. He remembers her but mostly her boobs and usually only before bed or in the shower when he needs fantasy material. He's not exactly proud to admit it but frankly the chances of ever seeing the second-year student again are slim to none. The university campus is huge. There are thousands of students that go there.

There isn't a snowball's chance in hell, so Inuyasha doesn't feel guilty and basically continues on with his life the same as usual.

He jerks off in the shower, thinking about her curves. It's fine, really. No harm, no foul. It's just a visual thing because he doesn't know her and he'll never, ever, ever see her again.

Ever.

 _Ever._

* * *

His life is a fucking joke. He should have known better.

* * *

Inuyasha runs into her while he's leaving class, almost two weeks later.

 _Literally_ runs into her. She collapses and smashes her head against the ground, her hands clutching her laptop and unable to break her fall because the universe actually hates him and wants to watch him suffer. He must have killed puppies in his past life.

"Ow," Kagome says, staring at the ceiling with a kind of weird fascination he previously associated with serial killers on those procedural cop shows, contemplating their next move.

"Shit," Inuyasha mutters, bending down. The hallway isn't extremely busy but there's a couple guys hovering nearby, probably making sure he didn't purposely try to murder her. He's not stupid; he recognizes Kagome right away. Her boobs are covered up but those really dark eyes get to him immediately, especially when they focus on him.

"Oh, it's you," she says. She sounds almost betrayed.

Puppies _and_ kittens; he apparently killed them both.

"Here, let me–" He bends down slightly and then aborts, because _no_. Should he help her? His hands flail a little, stop, and now he just looks fucking weird. "Uh–"

Kagome sits up, one hand bracing while the other continues to hold her device. "You're like a brick wall. And normally that would be a compliment but my head hurts too much to say for sure."

Eh. He'll take it either way. "How's your head?" He reaches down when she waves at him to. Thank god she's not as awkward as him in social situations. She wants something; she asks. He can appreciate that in a woman.

"Not amazing but I'll live. Where were you escaping from so fast?"

Inuyasha shrugs. "Just class. I'm done for the day."

"Are you going home?" Kagome reaches back to touch her head, wincing ever-so-slightly.

It makes him feel guilty as shit. He honestly wasn't looking when he was rushing out of there but normal people tend to get out of the way. He's not exactly _small_. "Yeah, I was planning on it." He pauses, Miroku's voice screaming in his ear to not be such a dickbag. "Uh, what about you?" Desperately, he bites his cheek to stop from wincing. He sounds awkward as _fuck_ , the question the most stilted thing _ever_.

If the black-haired woman notices his internal struggle, she doesn't say anything. "I have a four hour break so I'm going back to my place for dinner." Kagome gives him a small smile, raising that infuriating brow. "Where do you live?"

Maybe he just sucks at conversation, but that was not a question he was expecting. "Bowman and Marsh," Inuyasha recites. "Not far."

"Great, I'm just a little past there. I was going to my locker to drop off some books. Want to come with and then we can walk back together? So you can make sure I don't collapse due to a head injury."

Uh, what?

"Sure."

 _Fuck_. It's out of his mouth before he even thinks about it. It was automatic, unstoppable. Something about her pointed eyebrow and the way she looks at him, like he's the most amusing thing she's seen all week, makes words just tumble out like vomit. It's disgusting. Inuyasha used to scare people off better than this.

"Cool. What class did you come from?" Kagome's already walking away, a couple steps ahead before he gets with the program. He's not too sad about it though; it was a chance to check out her ass and it's a nice one. How did he not notice before?

Right. Hung over as fuck after sleeping under a tree… That would do it.

Inuyasha scowls. "The History of Political Thought. I want to stab myself every time I go."

Laughing, Kagome turns down another hallway and stops abruptly at a poorly painted, hideously green locker. "Sounds pretentious," she says, unlocking it. Kagome grabs a couple textbooks from her incredibly stuffed laptop bag and exchanges them with a few others. Her laptop is properly put away now that there's not so much in it. "What class do you have that you actually enjoy?"

He frowns. "You can enjoy them?" Kagome's laughing again like he's a damn comedian, little chuckles that make her face brighter. Honest-to-god, he asked that question seriously but apparently she thinks it's a joke.

"Kagome!" They both turn to look down the hallway where a group of students are approaching. Two of them wave, a guy and a girl, smiling like seeing Kagome's the best part of their day.

"Are you coming tonight?" the girl asks, sounding excited. Personally, Inuyasha thinks she's on something to be so freaking bubbly.

"Yeah, of course. Both of you should be there too, it'll be worth it." And she winks at them. Kagome _winks_ , all flirty and smiling and Inuyasha can't take his eyes off her. What the hell.

The other two aren't faring much better. Their group has already left them but they don't seem to care at all. The guy looks like he's seen fucking heaven.

"It was good seeing you," Kagome says, shutting her locker. "I'll find you later!"

Inuyasha blinks as the black-haired woman walks away, watching her retreating figure for a moment before quickly following. Kagome is _weird_. She's bashful and then has that calm-cool-and-collected thing going on about her. And then, out of the blue, she's this smiling beacon of fucking sunshine which is funny, because when he met her the first time he could only compare her to natural disasters like tornados and shit.

He wants to ask her what they were talking about but before he can even open his mouth, Kagome nudges him. "First year students are so young, don't you think?"

Uh, he can't honestly say he's thought about it. He tries his best to not think about or talk to anyone at all. The first years' shouldn't be disheartened by it. "No?" He winces. That definitely sounded like a question when it should very much not have been.

"Really?" She looks at him with those dark brown eyes, like she's taking his words to heart. "I don't know. I believe there's a huge difference between first year and second year students. For most people it's the first chance to be on their own. Frosh week is the best, mainly because newcomers are torn between being absolutely terrified or feeling absolutely alive."

Um. Who _says_ shit like that?

"You going to Homecoming?" she asks then, suddenly.

Right. That's this weekend. Inuyasha had completely forgotten. "Maybe? We try to make it to the game." What he doesn't say is that usually the guys of Corner House are far too smashed to walk the couple of blocks necessary to reach campus for the game. Himself included.

"You should go. If you need help getting tickets just let me know."

"What," Inuyasha says drily, "you happen to know a guy for last minute tickets?"

"Girl, actually," she replies, grinning at him. "She works in the Athletics Department."

They're just about to leave campus, the sidewalks turning from perfectly done to crumbling and uneven. Inuyasha catches movement from the corner of his eye and sees a girl waving at him cheerfully. She doesn't look remotely familiar but he's had really awkward encounters before. Apparently he was so drunk last Tuesday he slept under a tree. God only knows who he hit on that night.

Fuck, and Kagome's with him. It doesn't matter but he's an asshole on his good days. If this chick expects something from him he's going to have to act like he knows her, at least until he can corner Miroku or Kouga for an explanation. _Why_ did he drink for Kouga's birthday again? He doesn't even _like_ him–

"Hi Koume!" Kagome calls out, waving back.

The girl smiles wide, does some sort of hand sign that Kagome mimics, and then continues on her merry way.

Oh.

"You seem to know a lot of people," Inuyasha comments, watching the girl saunter off.

Kagome scoffs. "Not really. I know her from the Maroons. She's sweet."

The Maroons were the university's spirit group. They came to all the events – big or small – and got the crowd going and cheering. They were loud, annoying and some mornings when Inuyasha was hung over as all hell he wanted to ducktape their mouths shut.

When he was still drunk though, they were pretty fantastic for elevating school spirit and all that crap.

He doesn't have anything else to say, mainly because this conversation is probably the longest one he's had with someone he wouldn't consider a friend. They weren't friends – not at all. She found him under a tree two weeks ago and Inuyasha just so happened to run into her. Literally.

Kagome is nice, though. She's friendly and shit; the type of person Miroku always wants him to be. If he's drunk enough, he can usually manage it without getting hives. Otherwise, it's not even worth the attempt. The fact that he was a dick to her in the beginning _and_ he nearly cracked her head open speaks volumes about the type of person she is.

She's obviously fucking crazy, but on the down low so people don't get scared off.

He's so lost in his thoughts that seeing Corner House startles him. Inuyasha turns around and yes, they did just walk in silence most of the way here. Kagome's looking straight ahead, calm.

"I'm just right there," Inuyasha says, pointing.

The black-haired woman raises a brow, noting what he's gesturing to. "You live in the Corner House?" There's a weight to her words, amusement heavy in her tone.

Shrugging, he nods. "It's fun."

"It's a frat house," Kagome says, not unkindly.

"Not…really." It's not, technically. "It's just seven guys living in a house that has a lot of alcohol in it."

"Is it true the bedrooms are only on the top floor and the basement, because the main level is where the parties occur?"

He mouths to himself ' _where the parties occur_ ' because who the fuck talks like that?

After a moment she chuckles, low and quiet. "Well?" Kagome presses.

Inuyasha sighs. "Yes. Happy?"

"I'm not unhappy," she says. "Anyways, I'll see you around. Let me know if you need those tickets!"

Inuyasha is confused for a moment before he realizes he's practically at his damn door. Kagome is already a few feet away, continuing on the uneven sidewalk towards her own place.

Kagome says 'see you around' like she knows it's going to happen. Frankly, he's not sure how.

The tickets, maybe?

But then again, he doesn't have her number. So how the fuck is he supposed to ask her for them?

He watches her, uncontrollably pleased that she doesn't turn around to catch him at it. She has a great ass, truly. That wasn't in his fantasy material but now… Now there's no limit. They've even had a conversation, regardless of the fact that she found him under a tree drunk and he nearly killed her via head wound.

There was only one way to put it.

Crazy. She must be straight-up crazy.

* * *

 **Next Time on _Tell Me I'm Crazy_ :** Those blue eyes are on him, judging mercilessly. "I know this look. It's the 'I'm as Emotionally Stunted as a Rock' look. It doesn't often appear on your face because you tend to ignore all things _feelings_. And yet."

* * *

 **Again, there will be an update every week. Thanks in advance for putting up with the shenanigans you're likely to experience now that I've returned.**

 **As always, feedback is love.**


	2. Part II

**Author's Note:** Ugh, I love you all so much *squishes*

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part II**

* * *

"Are we going to Homecoming?" Inuyasha asks the moment he steps into the living room and barges in on Miroku's space. Hachi is there and the two of them are playing Mario Kart like their lives depend on it.

Hachi gives him a glare. "Will you be sober enough to make it?" he asks, sounding skeptical. "Because if so, then yes. Obviously. Who do you take me for?"

Inuyasha opens his mouth, closes it and then goes to open it again when Miroku glares at him from over the senior's head. "Right then," he finishes, lamely. He wonders if he backs out right now, if they'll just pretend the whole thing never happened.

Hachi's in his fifth year of university and is considered to be the leader of Corner House. There always is one, like any good fraternity that they most definitely are not. Well maybe they are. _Technically_. Though Inuyasha would rather die than say either Kouga or Naraku are his 'brothers.'

But anyways, Hachi is the one who organizes _everything_. He delegates a bit, of course, for all of the party planning, but he's really the mastermind behind it all. The wizard behind the curtain, so to speak. He's smarter than all of them combined and despite his stupidly large workload as an engineering student, he manages to get everything done and make the rest of them look bad.

"By the way, we have two weeks to get our Halloween costume together," Miroku says, far too casually. "We're entering into the group contest."

"Are we." Inuyasha doesn't ask, but rather states. There's no point in asking where Miroku's involved.

"We're going as the Teen Titans."

Hachi snorts loudly but then groans out loud when his Bowser falls off a cliff.

"I'm Robin," Inuyasha says, picking up his bag and preparing to go his room. A Robin costume would be really easy to–

"Nope, I'm Robin," Miroku replies, "obviously. I'm practically his twin with the charm and the hair."

"Then I'll be–"

"Nope."

Inuyasha growls. "Hachi, I'll fight you for Cyborg."

"I'm not part of your group," the senior exclaims, giving crazy eyes at the television. He shoots a green shell but it misses Miroku's Peach by a mile.

Miroku grins.

"Don't fucking tell me."

"Kouga already called dibs on Cyborg."

"I'm _not_ wearing green paint all over me," Inuyasha snaps. "Fuck that noise."

Peach crosses the finish line and the winner's music from the game starts up. Miroku's grin couldn't be any larger as he looks over at Inuyasha. "I have a plan, don't worry."

"Does your plan include finding any women to go along with this terrible idea?" Inuyasha retorts, crossing his arms.

"Women love me," Miroku says immediately, blue eyes dancing. "But I've got it covered."

Which means he's dragged that new girl he's seeing – Sayuki? – into it. Inuyasha's only met the girl once because for some reason, Miroku's oddly protective of bringing her to Corner House. Something about them ruining his chances with her. She seems nice enough and she punched Miroku viciously in the arm when he made some inappropriate comment about breasts.

"It's going to be awesome," Miroku concludes. "We're going to _win_ this contest. Just trust me."

Inuyasha snorts and says nothing as he turns away, going to his bedroom with the intention of studying but the sure enough knowledge that he'll probably take a nap instead.

* * *

Homecoming is a shitshow.

For some reason, October has been unseasonably warm. He's wearing jeans and a t-shirt, showing off his university pride, but he's _boiling_ under the heat of the sun. He's on his fifth beer–

Fifth?

Seventh?

Inuyasha stares at the bottle of beer, half finished in his hand, and ponders for a moment. Eh, he can't remember. Whatever.

The point is that it's hot as fuck and he's drunk, overly so but incredibly pleased about it. The boys of Corner House are all gathered on the front lawn, lounging in the grass and drinking to their heart's content.

"What a perfect fucking day," Hakkaku says, sounding dreamy.

Ginta, beside him, nods and hums in agreement.

Hachi burps loudly and Miroku – whose head is lying on Hachi's stomach – giggles uncontrollably. "You're disgusting," he says and Hachi shrugs, taking another swig of beer.

"What time is the game?" Kouga asks, nudging Inuyasha's thigh with his toe. The fucker isn't wearing shoes but neither is Inuyasha. They're soulmates, that way.

"What time is it now?" Hachi asks. He doesn't even open his eyes, doesn't move a single muscle from his position on the grass, head propped up with an arm.

Naraku rolls around, the ungainly fuck that he is, and finally announces the time. "A bit after one."

"Oh good." Hachi doesn't say anything else.

Kouga turns those baby blue eyes on him and grins, perfect teeth flashing in the light. "Have a Sharpie?"

Dick drawings, _yes_. Inuyasha knew they were best friends for a reason. He looks around the lawn and is severely disappointed there isn't one in immediate sight. "Uh, in the kitchen I think?"

Kouga groans. "I don't want to get it."

"Wait, what time is the game?" Miroku presses, frowning. Inuyasha watches as his other best friend starts to poke Hachi in the face.

The engineering student startles. "What the hell? Get off me!"

"You _love_ me," Miroku coos, sitting up but flicking at Hachi's face. "Now, what time is the game?"

"What game?" Hachi asks, dazed.

Hakkaku and Ginta groan in unison, clearly done with everyone's shit. Inuyasha privately agrees.

"It's at two-thirty," Naraku states, bored with all of them. "But surely by then Kouga and Inuyasha will be off somewhere sucking each other's dicks."

"Fuck _you_ ," Inuyasha replies, putting his beer down to properly flip Naraku off with both hands. There's no real heat to it, considering all of them are sloshed and enjoying the day. "Why are you even in this house?"

"What he said," Kouga mutters before finishing off the last of his beer. He stares at it sadly, looking a little lost.

"You know why," Naraku retorts smugly. "Don't be jealous, boo."

"Ugh, please stop talking." Inuyasha manfully doesn't whine but it's a close thing.

Ginta sits up, showing off his own empty beer bottle. "Why don't we just go to campus now? It's supposedly a party there anyways."

Hakkaku, as always, is in full agreeance and is already standing up. Kouga helps Inuyasha up and the two of them kick Naraku while he's still down. Miroku bats his blue eyes, pouting and making grabby hands.

Eventually, they all stumble towards campus in their ridiculous university wear. Kouga, because he's stupidly attractive and can get away with it, is wearing the really dumb socks that go up to the knees. Inuyasha is sad at the thought that he would just look like an idiot, while girls fucking fall over themselves fawning over Kouga's look.

"Don't be sad," Kouga singsongs at him. He throws his arm over his shoulders, leaning on him far too much and nearly sending both of them into a ditch. Miroku laughs and Snapchats the whole thing. It becomes embarrassing for everyone, the Snaps becoming more and more absurd and showcasing the utterly drunk way they're behaving. Inuyasha would be horrified but he's too mellow and happy for any of it to ruin his mood.

Ginta and Hakkaku, ever the pair, are chirping Miroku endlessly because he posted a photo of them with hearts and the tag #OTP4RealzTho.

"You're just jealous," Hakkaku baits, punching Miroku in the arm. "Hachi backed out _again_."

"He's fucking prepping the party tonight, _bitch_ ," he replies, laughing when Hakkaku punches him once more. "Unless you want to end the night with Ginta in your bed, you might prefer a party actually happens so you can find a chick to use as a beard."

"You're such a dick," Ginta complains. "Why do we put up with you?"

"See?" Miroku says, far too gleeful. "You even use the proper pronouns for being a couple. 'How do _we_ put up with you' and ' _we_ hate you, Miroku.' So fucking cute, the both of you."

Kouga snorts. "You are very co-dependent," he points out.

"Fucking traitors. All of you."

* * *

Inuyasha doesn't remember last year's Homecoming, mainly because he was pretty drunk the whole day and he's pretty sure he didn't leave the block. He regrets it a little when they finally get to campus. The place is _crazy_. Everyone is wearing the school's colours and people have face paint on, maroon and silver. Girls are walking around with perfectly done maroon-stained lips and the lucky guys have lipstick transfer somewhere on their body. There's music playing _everywhere_ , a billion different stations depending on where you are. The crowd is the largest by the playing field, where there are a couple of pop-up bars serving alcohol to those of age and little stores selling more swag.

"Your beak can suck my hawk! Your beak can suck my hawk!" Everyone is chanting the same mantra, some smart, witty play-on words against the other team their school was playing. Some sort of eagle maybe. Inuyasha doesn't know. He doesn't really fucking care. Sports was never his thing.

Everyone starts cheering louder and at first, Inuyasha has no idea why. It's not until a band of maroon-coloured crazies starts dancing near him that he gets it. The Maroons, the school's spirit group. As usual, they were turning the crowd _up_. One guy has an actual boombox on his arm, the speakers blasting some Top 40s song with heavy bass. The Maroons are all doing some kind of choreographed dance, wearing overalls decorated with bright splashes of paint. They're practically the embodiment of school spirit, it's terrifying.

And then it hits him.

Literally hits him, and it's kind of ironic, because all of a sudden there's Kagome, beaming at him behind maroon-coloured sunglasses, steadying herself against him.

"You made it!" she yells, before shimmying backwards into her group of Maroon-crazies and doing the necessary dance steps to make her look like she belongs in a straight-jacket. All of them do.

Inuyasha tries to ignore the fact that she looks really fucking hot, covered in paint with a black crop-top and baggy maroon overalls. She can't even dance. At all.

The Maroons dance away and Inuyasha tries really hard not to stare. It becomes a bit difficult to keep track of his friends after that, between stolen glances and the huge crowd around them. Thankfully – or unthankfully, depending on how you look at it – Kouga notices pretty quickly.

"What's up with you, fuckhead?" he asks, shoving him to the side. "See someone you know?"

"Nah, just trying to forget your ugly face."

Kouga flips him off, as to be expected, but then they rejoin their friends and head towards the bar. It's funny watching Miroku try to act sober enough to be let in, but eventually they make it and get another couple beers in their system.

He only spots Kagome twice more but she's always doing something, flitting around in the crowd, cheering and dancing and taking pictures with whoever asks her to. The Maroons are always popular on game days.

It gets a little blurry after that.

It's much later and the Homecoming party at the Corner House is as amazing as planned. There are people everywhere drinking, dancing, singing and generally enjoying their life. Their school won the match and even though the vast majority don't actually care about the sport, everyone is celebrating like it's a personal win. Inuyasha is three sheets to the wind and buzzed on the bass coming from their speakers, DJ Naraku-The-Fucking-Best owning the room.

He remembers all over again why they keep him.

Girls are wearing tight skirts and tight tops. So many of them catch his eye that he just stays on the dance floor and goes from partner to partner, grinding and sweaty and feeling fucking amazing.

There's a brunette – Asuna – who he stays with the longest, her big green eyes daring him while he pulls her against him. The song is slow and dirty, a pulse that sends shivers through her. He can't remember how long they make out for but it doesn't go any further and he doesn't particularly want it to.

She gives him a last kiss before walking away with her friends, her shorts doing a wonderful thing for her figure.

Inuyasha doesn't imagine her wearing overalls and maroon sunglasses. He doesn't think about that at all.

* * *

His professors are assholes because the next week is one of the worst of his life.

Maybe they all got together and made a pact to destroy their students' lives after Homecoming. It sure feels that way, even if it's highly unlikely. There are pop quizzes and the never-ending doling out of assignments and reports. Inuyasha's so bogged down with homework he completely forgets about the spot he met Kagome after his class on Thursday. If he had been smart about it, he could have tried to find her but as it stands, it's Friday night and he hasn't seen her since their chance meeting at Homecoming.

It shouldn't mean anything, and it doesn't really. They've met three times and she seems mostly cool but a little crazy. She's attractive – he's not _blind_ – and maybe, you know, it would be nice to see if that could be a thing. It could be a thing. Right?

"Oh god, not again," Miroku groans, throwing a balled up paper towel at his head.

"What?" Inuyasha growls, unimpressed. He throws the paper towel back but misses. It hurts his pride more than he's willing to admit.

Those blue eyes are on him, judging mercilessly. "I know this look. It's the 'I'm as Emotionally Stunted as a Rock' look. It doesn't often appear on your face because you tend to ignore all things _feelings_. And yet."

"I honestly don't know why you're my friend. You're a dick," Inuyasha responds. "And I'm not emotionally stunted."

"You are. As a rock. A hard one." Miroku chuckles, mostly to himself as Inuyasha glares daggers his way, and decides to give him a break. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing really," Inuyasha says, shrugging. "Just thinking."

"Dangerous."

"Asshole."

Miroku grins unrepentantly. "Come on, man. This is the last time I'm going to ask."

It's not a good feeling but he opens his mouth anyways. "There's a person I met."

"A girl."

"A person."

Sighing exasperatedly, Miroku just gestures for him to go on.

"I'm not sure what to do." Inuyasha frowns and looks down at the couch their sitting on. Nothing good is even on TV – it's just commercials – so he can't even pretend to be remotely interested in that.

"What do you want to do?"

Inuyasha winces. "I don't know. That's why we're talking."

"You're hardly talking," Miroku complains, rolling his eyes. He gets up quickly and grabs a couple controllers for their Xbox. "Here: shoot things with me."

He shoots a lot of things. He dies a lot too.

Miroku nudges him and smiles and despite the fact that Inuyasha hates him deeply, he's kind of stupidly fond of him.

* * *

He doesn't see Kagome after that. It doesn't bother him.

Well. Not much, anyways.

* * *

Inuyasha still hates Kouga, no matter what Miroku says, so he's kind of irritated when the soccer athlete is laughing with a bunch of their roommates in the kitchen.

"Don't talk like that," Kouga says, shaking his head and still chuckling at Hakkaku. "You know that's not it."

"Ugh, you've been talking about this chick for weeks," Hachi complains, rolling his eyes as he shoves some chips in his mouth. The next sentence comes out more garbled than not. "Never seen someone so happy to go to a morning class."

Kouga snorts and opens the fridge, pausing to give Inuyasha a quick two-fingered salute. "Hey man, I'm making sandwiches. Want one?"

"No," Inuyasha replies, stumbling over the "thanks" bit next.

The athlete doesn't even seem to notice. Ginta is making some joke and Hakkaku is already finishing the punchline. Kouga laughs and pulls out whatever he needs. "Neither of you will ever get girlfriends talking shit like that."

"We can't all be captain of the soccer team," Hakkaku retorts. "What are they saying about you again? How it's you and you alone that's carrying the team? That the only reason our school even _qualified_ was because of your points on the board?"

"It's a _team_ sport," Kouga presses. "I'm not doing anything. The team is."

Hachi snorts so hard chips fly from his mouth.

Inuyasha tries not to vomit at the patented douchebag routine and leaves the kitchen. He'll wait until they're gone to make a sandwich.

Stupid Kouga and his fucking delicious sandwiches.

* * *

It's been a couple weeks.

He still doesn't see Kagome and at this point, Inuyasha decides it's time to find his balls and get over it.

Miroku laughs at him constantly. He affectionately calls him The Rock because saying "as emotionally stunted as a rock" over and over becomes tiresome.

Inuyasha wonders if Naraku would be a better friend but then he sees the guy doing yoga in the living room in nothing but tight boxer briefs and emphatically decides _no fucking way_.

Inuyasha picks up the dollar store cat ears and stares in horror at the drug store fake nails. "Nope, I'm not wearing this."

"Come on," Miroku wheedles. "It'll make you look like an animal or whatever. And this way you don't have to wear the green paint. Look! I even got you fangs."

Dark brown eyes glare at blue ones. "No."

"Fuck off, yes," Miroku snaps, getting irritated. "This group costume is amazing. Don't be a little bitch. Do you have a better idea to avoid the green paint?"

Inuyasha remains silent but that's only because he refuses to stoop to such a low level. Miroku is clearly evil. "Why do I have to be Beast Boy?" he whines. He'll admit it; Inuyasha is full-on about to have a temper-tantrum like a six year-old child. "Couldn't you have waited to tell stupid Kouga about the idea so I could have called dibs?"

"Kouga kind of inspired the idea, actually," Miroku replies, shrugging. "So it's only fair."

"It's not fair. You're the worst kind of friend," Inuyasha snaps. He grabs the costume Miroku bought for him and grimly looks at the rest of his ensemble. "If the fangs are annoying, I'm not wearing them all night."

Grinning like he's won the lottery, Miroku slaps him on the back. "'Course not. Don't take too long. The party starts in like half an hour. You're up first with Ginta for Entry."

Ah, yes. The Corner House isn't famous because of its fraternity-like structure. Most people would probably assume the parties, but they're only half-right. Parties at the Corner House aren't just _regular_ parties. They're fucking _themes_. There are contests and rules and all this shit that Inuyasha barely remembers but gets drilled on anyways because Hachi is terrifying. None of it is lame either, which is why being part of the Corner House is like a goddamn honour. Every aspect of the party is to get it more amped up. Members of Corner House actually have _jobs_ during parties, at least for the first hour or so, depending on what's going on. Tonight, since it's Halloween, the work ends after an hour. He and Ginta are stationed at the front door. This year, it's mainly just the costume contests and the entry point game. Everyone that comes in has to say "Trick or Treat" and roll a dye. Inuyasha and Ginta both have six opaque bottles, each with a number on them. Whatever number the dye lands on, they will pour that person a shot from the matching bottle. Three of the bottles are filled with disgusting alcohol, while the other three are delicious.

Cheating is not acceptable at Corner House so every once and a while, Inuyasha and Ginta mix up the bottles' numbers.

It's relatively mindless, which helps Inuyasha since he's not exactly a people-person. He doesn't have to smile at anyone; he just has to pour shots. Naraku is already playing music and the rest of the guys are on contest duty. Hachi is at the photo station, camera at the ready for anyone entering the contests. Contest entry closes after an hour, at ten-thirty, and then all photos go up on a Facebook page the Corner House put up years ago for contests. Everyone can like photos and whoever gets the most likes wins.

What do they win? Inuyasha has no fucking idea. That's all on Hachi.

"Trick or Treat, stranger."

Inuyasha turns his head away from Hachi taking photos to the two girls standing in front of him. Kagome, grinning from underneath a dark blue hood, grabs a dye and tosses another one at a girl who Inuyasha is pretty damn sure is Miroku's girlfriend. He squints. What was her name again?

"Yeah, yeah, Trick or Treat," the girlfriend says, her magenta eyes rolling. "If I feel sick right away after a disgusting shot, I'm totally blaming you."

"As long as you last until we win the contest, I don't care. Right?" Her dye lands on three. Inuyasha picks up bottle number four, because number three is some disgusting homemade moonshine crap and number four is peach schnapps. He doesn't even look at what Miroku's girlfriend landed; he just pours another.

Kagome must notice but she doesn't say anything, still smiling at him. "See Sango? I told you Beast Boy and Raven are the _real_ OTP in Teen Titans. You and Miroku are going to have to work for it." Sango sounds mock outraged but Inuyasha finally gets it, looking at both of their costumes as the pieces click into place.

"You're part of it?" Inuyasha asks, entirely to Kagome. Sango, he kind of figured, even if he didn't know her name.

Rolling her eyes at him, she gestures to her tight black bodysuit and dark blue cape, the hood of it shadowing her face. "Obviously. Did Miroku not tell you?"

Ginta is starting to glare at him now, considering Inuyasha is supposed to be helping with the whole entrance portion of the evening. As always, he ignores him. "Miroku told me he had it covered, so I figured his girlfriend and a friend of hers."

Snorting, Sango shakes her head. "He didn't trust you to play along. Kagome's my roommate. We've known each other since high school."

More information than he frankly cared for but Inuyasha figures as she's Miroku's girlfriend, he'll just have to deal with it. "Got it," he says dryly. "I guess I'll see you later."

It's not a question but Kagome acts like it is, nodding and reaching over the table to flick at his fake animal ears. "Beast Boy and Raven forever."

He doesn't have the heart to tell her he watched the show only a few times as a kid and had no fucking clue what she was talking about. Either way, she's looking at him with those big, dark brown eyes as her hands close around the plastic shot glass and she downs the schnapps.

Kagome and Sango leave, disappearing into the crowd and Inuyasha wonders why all of a sudden he desperately wants to hide like a goddamn child. He was over this. He _was_. He got over his shit at least a week ago because it was incredibly unlikely he was going to run into her again. Chance brought them together three times already. The universe wasn't that fucking kind.

He lets other people roll the dye at his table and pours them their drinks, not even grimacing or having the decency to look sympathetic when he poured the really bad shit.

So he saw Kagome again. So she's his best friend's girlfriend's roommate.

Inuyasha squashes down anything he feels in relation to that train of thought, taking a couple shots himself in between guests.

Trick or Treat for the win, he guesses.

There are well over a hundred people in Corner House before Inuyasha is tapped on the shoulder by Hakkaku to take over. He only has five minutes left but as his roommate tells him, "Robin is looking for you to take the group photo for the contest. Hurry your ass over there."

Hakkaku is dressed as Tweedledee – or maybe he's Tweedledum to Ginta's Tweedledee. Either way, they have stupid costumes and Inuyasha is horrified to know them.

He's had more than a few shots so he smirks when he sees Miroku, dressed to the nines and looking like the real deal Robin. The smirk completely falls off his face the moment he sees Kouga, with his stupid arm along Kagome's shoulders.

"What." Inuyasha demands it. It's not a question. He's torn between wanting to know and really _not_ wanting to know.

"I haven't introduced you guys yet!" Miroku says, far too excited. "Inuyasha, this is Kagome–"

"Oh, we know each other," Kagome interrupts, grinning sharply. She slides out of Kouga's grip around her shoulders to nudge against him. "We run into each other the odd time." It's the way she says it that has him looking down at her, vaguely panicked. Kagome _cannot_ tell them.

"So you all know each other?" Miroku sighs, vaguely disappointed. "I thought I was going to be the nucleus holding us all together. You know, like _Robin_."

"Maybe another time, another costume," Sango says, rolling her eyes. "For the record, _I_ knew that we all knew each other."

Miroku looks even more betrayed, his blue eyes widening and lips pouting. His hand even makes it over his heart. "My dearest–"

Groaning, Sango covers his mouth with her hand. "That doesn't work on me, Romeo."

"Can we please just take the damn picture already?" Hachi demands, tablet in his hands. "The contest was supposed to be live already and like usual, you're ruining it." Hachi is dressed up as a purple-vest wearing raccoon. No one knows why. No one even asks. Inuyasha isn't sure if that's worse or not.

"Okay guys, just like the TV show. I'm obviously in the middle," Miroku directs. "Kouga, you're to my left and Sango, my right. Inuyasha, go stand just outside of Sango – no, the other way, moron. Kagome, you're already in perfect position, as per usual."

Kagome winks at him and it's the most unfair.

"Superhero poses!" Kouga yells. What's also unfair is that his costume looks really good. Inuyasha is drunk enough to admit that. He even has a proper headpiece that goes over half his face. Inuyasha hopes it hurts like hell though, just because.

Hachi takes the photo, grumbling the entire time. He waves at them all dismissively as he goes, eyes never leaving the tablet. Miroku turns around gleefully to all of them. "So, we need to win this contest. I have a plan."

"Oh, thank god, Robin has a plan." Inuyasha snorts. "I'm not giving up my good alcohol to convince people."

"Yeah, fuck that," Kouga agrees.

Sighing like they physically pain him, Miroku shakes his head. "No, shut up you whiny bitches. All we have to do is stay somewhat near each other. Always be able to see at least two of us. People are obviously going to ask us about our costumes and let's face it, Kouga and I are the only ones that are cool enough to get away with being solo."

Sango slaps him on the back of the head. Inuyasha hopes Miroku marries her one day.

"He has a point," Kagome states. "There are only seven other groups that entered the contest so we can win this."

"What is there to even win?" Inuyasha asks plaintively. If it's for a fucking hat, he's leaving them all behind and locking himself in his room to drink beer alone.

Kouga flicks his fake animal ears and grins. "Free tickets to The Court for a couple hours. Come on, you can't tell me you don't want to play dodgeball on a trampoline."

It would, in all honesty, be nice to hit Kouga's stupidly attractive face with a rubber ball.

He needs more alcohol.

"And we need to make a scene," Miroku continues, rubbing his hands together. The smile on his face is terrifying. "I've planned it all with Naraku so a half-hour before midnight, I need you guys to meet me in my room."

Kagome laughs. "This isn't the start of a porno, is it?"

"I am not going to dignify that with–"

"He really wishes," Sango sighs dramatically.

Miroku pouts. "Guys! Come on! No, just– Meet up when I said, okay? And all night, make a scene. Kouga and Kagome, use your army of followers to get votes. Sango, slay like you do. I will be my charming self. Inuyasha, try not to talk to people."

He shrugs. That's fair.

Some girl yells for Kouga and the group starts to disperse. Inuyasha is about to make a beeline for his locked bedroom so he can get some alcohol in his system when a small hand grabs his wrist. He stops and looks at Kagome, who's grinning at him and swiping at her phone. "Come on," she says, raising her phone for a selfie. "Beast Boy and Raven are the _best_." He hates pictures but in a desperate attempt to be normal he tries not to make a face. Kagome laughs at him instantly, stepping in close so that her back is a line against his chest. "Just smile really big, like he does in the shows."

Inuyasha doesn't smile. It becomes pretty clear when Kagome has held the phone for the while and she doesn't take a shot.

"Really?" she asks, twisting to look up at him. "Does it physically hurt you?"

He's about to open his mouth that it may, actually – he's never honestly tried – but suddenly her hand is gripping his chin, tilting him downwards and she's pressing a kiss to his cheek. The flash goes off viciously in the dark room and Inuyasha can only _imagine_ what he looks like.

Kind of desperately he wants to ask her _what the fuck_? But he's startled to find he doesn't actually know what to say and that there's a warm feeling in his chest that he's previously only attributed to near death by alcohol. "Um."

Kagome grins at him, big and wide and those dark eyes are nearly black in the dim light of Corner House. She shows him the picture. "You're ridiculous," she states, uploading the photo to an app. "Do you have Instagram?"

"Do I look like the kind of person that has Instagram?" he asks instead.

She makes a noise at him but if there were any words, he couldn't pick them up. She's playing with the filters and saturation, taking only a second to look up at him before typing out a caption and hitting share immediately. Inuyasha didn't even get a chance to read it.

"Hey Kagome!" someone yells, snapping her attention away. He doesn't even look over to see who it is because suddenly Kouga is leaning on him, his arm wrapped around Inuyasha's shoulder.

"And he's Beast Boy," Kouga says, winking at some girl in a tight Super Mario costume.

"You guys are _adorable_ ," she yells, batting her baby blue eyes at him. Inuyasha tries not to vomit. "Can I take a picture?"

Kouga keeps smiling while Inuyasha just resorts back to his standard scowl. The annoying fangs in his mouth keep catching his lip, the right one stubbornly refusing to stay _in_ his mouth. The girl takes a picture and then before she can say another word, Kouga steers them forcefully away. "Let's get shitfaced," he states seriously and Inuyasha, in the moment, can't summon his usual hatred for the guy.

The alcohol is locked away in their own bedrooms. It's the unspoken rule that the basement and top floor of Corner House are off-limits but they keep everything closed just in case. Kouga, Inuyasha and Miroku all share the top floor. Despite the fact that Hachi has been in Corner House longer than everyone, he prefers the largest room in the basement since it's always cold down there.

Without saying a word, the two of them go into Inuyasha's room. Kouga grabs two shot glasses from a shelf while Inuyasha grabs the rum. He pours them each a shot, downs it and then pours another. On the third shot, they cheers each other before Kouga goes into his own room for some whiskey.

The music is loud, the bass heavy so the house nearly shakes with it. Naraku is putting down mixes that have girls cheering and boys whooping. By the time they get back downstairs with a strong mixed drink in hand, the strobe lights are going off and the room has been transformed into a cesspool of fictional characters and sexual innuendo. Halloween is the _best_.

"There you are!" Miroku yells, the music nearly drowning him out. He's grabbing at both of them viciously and then turns to yell at someone else. Inuyasha can't hear what he's saying but soon Miroku's doing a superhero pose and Sango is giggling and doing a peace sign beside him. Kouga downs his drink, puts the glass down and pretends to blast some guy with a camera with his hand-laser-thingy.

Well then.

Chugging his drink, he pushes Miroku aside, feeling the thrum of alcohol already flood his system. He may or may not have looked at Teen Titan photos over the past weekend, so posing like Beast Boy isn't overly difficult. Miroku is laughing and soon jumps on him, whooping loudly as the bass drops and the room goes crazy. The room doesn't blur, but things happen so fast that Inuyasha just tries to keep up. He's on the dancefloor, beer in hand from god only knows, grinding against some random girl. No one is really dancing with each other; it's just a mob on the liquor-soaked floor, people flowing from one end of the room to the other with the only constant being the incessant beat.

Inuyasha tries not to, but he sees Kagome a lot. Every time he wants to go up to her, grab her and pull her into the crowd with the rest of them. Miroku and Sango are making out now and the more Inuyasha looks, the more he's pretty sure they're having sex with their clothes on.

But every single time. Every time he looks at her with her long cape and pushed-back hood, she's laughing and joking around with a bunch of people. But the guys.

Shit.

It's maybe a crazy thing to notice but he _does_. Kagome is always surrounded by guys and all of them are looking at her and smiling at her like they're trying to desperately get her attention. They keep reaching out to touch and while she's not pulling away, Kagome doesn't linger or reciprocate. She dances a lot – with girls, with guys, a massive smile on her face that he can't take his eyes away from – and Inuyasha just finishes his beer, staying where he is.

"Hey you sexy beast!" Miroku yells in his ear.

Inuyasha starts. Apparently Miroku and Sango finished making out for now. "What?"

Giggling, Miroku throws his arm around Inuyasha's neck and starts bro-dancing with him. It's embarrassing for everyone nearby but Inuyasha can't help but smirk. Sango grinds up against him from behind and soon they're some sort of polygamous trio. It's great for the attention though, their line getting longer as the lights flicker around the room. The more they dance, the more he sweats and pretty soon he needs more alcohol or he'll die of dehydration.

"Beer?" Inuyasha asks, looking at Sango who nods vigorously like he's asked the best question of the night. He repeats the question to Miroku, "Beer?"

The blue-eyed superhero grins and pulls away from the crowd, his hand catching Sango's who in turn grabs his. Inuyasha has never been a fan of being touched by people but with Sango, he's not irritated. Maybe it's the alcohol.

Maybe it's the way she hits Miroku every time he grabs her ass rather aggressively.

They go upstairs and even though the music is still loud, it's not as pounding as it is on the main level. Inuyasha quickly goes into his room to grab some beer, somewhat pleased when he gets to Miroku's room and the both of them are still dressed, their mouths not attached to one another. He considers it progress.

"Thank you for not having sex at this very moment in time," Inuyasha blurts, a little surprised at himself for making the overture.

Miroku looks like he's just won the lottery. "What?"

Unable to help himself, he laughs. He's not so emotionally stunted that he can't thank someone once and a while. He does it.

Miroku raises a brow and Sango snickers, trying to hide it behind a gulp of beer as she pulls out her phone. "No. I don't think I've ever heard those words come out of your mouth unless it's buried in sarcasm."

Well then. He said those words out loud. Fantastic. "I do so."

"You do not but it's okay because I love you all the same." Without warning, he comes in close and gives Inuyasha a big hug, affectionately kissing his cheek in an obnoxious, horrifying way. "Best friends for life!"

Inuyasha does not smile. He does not.

"When did this happen?" Sango asks suddenly, thrusting her phone into his face. At first it's blurry but soon Inuyasha sees a photo of himself and Kagome, clearly from her Instagram feed. What's sad is that the cat ears don't even look ridiculous, not when compared to his shocked face.

He wasn't prepared for her to kiss his cheek. That's all.

But then, Inuyasha's dark eyes see that already almost two hundred people have liked it and underneath the caption–

 _Raven and her Beast Boy_ , followed by two tiny pink hearts.

Inuyasha blinks, reads it again.

"How cute!" Miroku coos, pushing his face in the way. "I didn't even know you two knew each other. Some friend _you_ are."

This conversation needed to be avoided at all costs. If Miroku _knew_ – If he knew anything from the circumstances in which they met to the fact that he once (maybe, like, five times) thought about dating her, Inuyasha would never hear the end of it. Miroku would bat his big baby blues and get the whole story out of him. Before Inuyasha knew it, the story would be plastered across Corner House and then fucking Naraku would know and he'd probably try to do yoga in the living room more often to share his zen or whatever.

Not worth it.

"Let's go downstairs, yeah? Yeah." Inuyasha looks at Sango somewhat desperately and she must feel generous because she barely narrows her eyes before nodding. "We should find Kouga, make sure he's not getting into trouble. I should get him a beer."

Miroku snorts. "Don't be jealous but Kouga's not going to want you around. I know you're soulmates or whatever but he's trying to get his girl."

It's Sango's turn to snort. "Seriously? What, they don't just all fawn all over him?"

Inuyasha starts to drag his friend downstairs, Sango closing the door behind them. "They collapse at his feet; I've never seen it before. It's his face. It's the most fucking symmetrical thing I've ever seen. Superman is shamed by it."

"Amen," Miroku mutters. "Which is why this is important. He's been flirting with her all the time and he can't get a read, you know? I'm pretty sure it's the only reason he goes to that morning class."

Frankly, he has no idea. Inuyasha never pays attention to Kouga, which is strange because Kouga is the best. He's a great guy. They're, like, best buds or whatever. _Soulmates_. So whoever this girl is, she better fucking like Kouga and treat him right and shit.

Yeah.

Sango's frowning at them, kind of meanly and Inuyasha doesn't get why. He's about to ask because the extra beer on top of the mixed drinks on top of the shots have done him in. It appears that going down the stairs managed to increase his inembr– inebri– _his drunkenness_. "Why are you looking at me like that? I don't want to have sex with Miroku."

Instantly she's laughing so hard she's clutching her stomach and leaning on the wall. He doesn't get what's so funny. Sango had looked really worried.

"There he is!" Miroku cheers. "Go get 'em, studmuffin!"

Kouga wouldn't be able to hear him with the music and it even takes a moment for Inuyasha to locate the soccer star in the crowd of grinding bodies. Eventually, the Cyborg costume gives him away and he's dancing with Kagome.

Wait.

Inuyasha squints. Waits some more. _This is important_.

Oh.

Making a snap decision, Inuyasha gulps down the rest of his beer and steals Miroku's right after. He ignores the indignant squawk of his friend and downs that too.

"Wanna dance?" Sango is suddenly in front of him, her hand on his shoulder. It doesn't really matter what he says because she's already dragging him out, Miroku getting more high-pitched in confusion. It's almost strange because he barely knew her before tonight and yet, she's the only one right now that won't leave him alone. They make it partway into the main room, Naraku up on the temporary stage dancing like a fool, before Sango stops. Drunk as he is, he's pretty sure typical dancing is _not_ allowed with his best friend's girlfriend. But before Inuyasha can do anything, she grabs his hands to put high on her waist and grinds against him – not hard, not overly _sexual_ or anything. But.

Still.

Inuyasha squints a little, unsure if somehow he passed out somewhere and this is a really weird dream. Sango doesn't stop her hips but turns a little to look at him and rolls her magenta eyes. "Don't be weird, you loser."

Alright then.

Miroku comes over and just looks all sad before Sango manages to manhandle him in front of her. They're back into the polygamous dancing thing they do – and Inuyasha's pretty sure that Sango's feeling Miroku up while they dance – but the way they're moving distracts him fully from Kouga and Kagome. It's enough that when the beat drops he whoops along with the rest of them and takes the beer Hakkaku offers him without care. Hakkaku starts to yell at him, so maybe the beer wasn't so much offered as just taken.

His eyes are closed and now he's dancing with some girl he doesn't actually know but she's a good fucking dancer. Naraku is making out with a chick on the stage but the music doesn't pause for a second and everyone is enjoying themselves. He is too, until there's a tug on his arm and then he's looking into dark eyes and a small smile.

"Hey!" Kagome says, fiddling with the hood of her cape. "It's time to meet up!"

Inuyasha blinks, turning to look around and realizing he's lost Miroku and Sango and the rest of them. How long had he been alone for? Slowly, he looks at his empty beer bottle and then wonders how many of those he's had too.

Oh well.

"You coming?" Kagome asks, grinning hugely now.

Inuyasha looks in front of him for the girl he was dancing with but she's disappeared. What the hell?

There must be a look on his face because Kagome's laughter is just barely heard over the pulse of the music. Inuyasha looks at her, and she must be pretty drunk too because her laughter is all encompassing and far too lengthy. Her eyes are shut, head thrown back and hands half-reaching out to him. She's goddamn gorgeous.

But.

"Where's Kouga?" Inuyasha asks, pleased when asking doesn't even make him feel funny.

Kagome's eyes narrow slightly but she shrugs anyways. "Probably in Miroku's room already. We have to meet, remember? Come on!" Grabbing his arm without any hesitation, she drags him away and up the stairs towards their rooms. He doesn't miss the looks that they get, especially from guys he's seen her talking to. A couple of them wave, one even gives her a brief hug, and there are so many girls that cheer when they see her.

It's like she knows everyone, which is _insane_.

"Fucking finally," Kouga says, slurring only slightly. He smiles at both of them but ignores Kagome completely for Inuyasha, wrapping his arms around him like they're the bestest of friends.

Inuyasha can't help but smile back, punching him lightly in the arm and wondering why there was a brief moment his mind told him they weren't friends. They're fucking _soulmates_ is what they are.

And then he looks at Kagome again and remembers.

For fuck's sake.

"Alright team, this is what we're going do," Miroku announces, handing everyone what looks like a plastic blow dryer. "You ready to blow everyone's mind and get those last crucial votes to win this thing?"

"I think we're already winning," Sango states, weighing the contraption in her hand.

"Do not ruin this for me, Starfire!" Miroku shakes his head viciously, like the thought of it disturbs him. "It's anyone's contest and it's not over until it's over and the fat lady goddamn sings. Now are you with me?!"

Kagome snorts and then giggles loudly. "I don't even know what's happening right now."

"Greatness," Miroku affirms, nodding once. "Epic greatness."

Listening isn't too hard when the idea just sounds more and more ridiculous. But it's fucking _awesome_ and even Inuyasha can't believe this concept was created by the man standing before him. Miroku must have thought about this long and hard, pre-drinking and very sober.

All in all, ten minutes later they're back down on the main level, sticking close to each other as the heavy bass ripples through the speakers. Their plastic blow dryer-looking-things came with straps, which are slung around their shoulders so they're free to move. Sango and Kagome are attracting the attention of any guy near them and Inuyasha has no idea what his hands are doing but fuck it, it's fun.

"Corner House!" Hachi's voice booms from the speaker, the music lowering as the announcement is made. "Fucking welcome to Corner House's Halloween party! Is everyone having a great fucking time?" There are screams and cheers, and Hachi nearly trips over something on the stage. Kouga laughs and throws his arm around him, shaking his head in commiseration for their ridiculous leader. "I'm going to keep this short since we only have so much time before the music has to lower to avoid the 5-0 – _but_! The costume contest is live for twenty more minutes so vote now, you beautiful people! Twenty minutes!"

Naraku whoops and brings the music back up to ear piecing levels. The electronic music hums, the trumpets loud and insistent, getting bodies back to their dirty, hazy grind. It's the kind of song that builds up and Inuyasha marvels again at how Miroku managed to get this done. Kouga is fist pumping with a bunch of guys nearby but then Sango grabs his hips and drags him against her. Miroku dances right up behind her and Kagome grabs Inuyasha's hand before joining.

The Teen Titans of Corner House are probably making the executives at DC Comics cry, but they're a line of beautiful people dancing and having the night of their life. Their line doesn't go unnoticed and people start taking some pictures even though the room is dark and it's probably going to turn out shitty. Miroku puts his fist up in the air and yells, the trumpets in the heavy beat getting louder and louder, more persistent. The beat is building up, an overpowering wave of energy and Inuyasha grabs the blow dryer and sticks it up in the air, arm pumping it up wildly over and over. Everyone is looking at them now and it's for good reason. They look like a scene but when the beat drops, hard and powerful and making everyone cheer, they all pull the trigger and confetti bursts from their plastic guns.

Kouga is waving his all around and girls are practically falling over themselves trying to get to him. It would be hilarious but Inuyasha's too distracted by feel of Kagome grinding in front of him, the music seemingly never ending. Everyone is staring at them, he can tell without even looking it but it urges him on. The haze of alcohol makes the whole thing fantastic rather than horrifying. His hands circle around Kagome's waist and then they just dance.

They don't stop. He doesn't want them to stop.

Fucking Hachi ruins fucking everything though.

At midnight as planned, the music lowers to a level reasonable enough that it won't spread to the neighbours a couple blocks away. The Corner House is in an area that's entirely student rented and no one is stupid enough to rent by them and expect parties to be quiet. But Corner House has always run a tight ship and a couple of incidences with the cops aside, they never get into trouble.

"Ladies and gents, we have our costume contest winners, so shut up and listen," Hachi yells into the microphone, holding up his tablet.

Inuyasha couldn't give less of a shit but Kagome pulls away from him with a smile. Her hood has fallen down, pooling around her shoulders and he has to stop the impulse to draw it back up and frame her face. The people around them cheer over something but he's honestly not paying attention.

"Hey, Kagome," a voice calls, a guy with sandy brown hair and green eyes. He's dressed up as a doctor – which, _lame_ – but before he can say anything Kagome calls out, "Hojo!" and hugs him.

It's hard to ignore the way that Hojo holds her for a little bit longer than necessary.

"Calm down," Sango says suddenly, appearing at his side. She elbows him in the ribs and rolls her eyes at his indignant growl. It wasn't a squawk. He does not squawk. "We're about to win, pay attention."

Inuyasha hadn't been paying attention but Hachi's waving his hands to get everyone to quiet down a little. He's clearly announced a couple winners already and the group contest is probably next. Miroku is practically vibrating out of his skin beside him, drunk enough that he can't seem to contain himself. Kouga is talking to some guy beside him that Inuyasha vaguely recognizes but can't pinpoint as to how.

"And for the group contest!" Hachi exclaims into the microphone. "Man, this group won by a landslide. Let's give it up for the Teen Titans!"

" _Yes!_ " Miroku screams, flailing his hands out and whacking Inuyasha violently in the face. Sango bursts out laughing and pins his hands from retaliating by hugging him. She leaps into Miroku's arms next and then they start to make out, because of course they do.

Worst friends in the whole wide world.

There are so many people cheering around them and it seems all of a sudden that there's an endless stream congratulating them. It's clear that more or less everyone is drunk so he gets kissed on the cheek by girls and more bro backslaps than he ever wanted in his life. He sticks close to Kouga and his soccer friends because Miroku and Sango have disappeared – probably to have sex – and he hasn't seen Kagome since that lame doctor arrived.

Naraku stops by and hands him and Kouga each a water bottle filled with rum. They toast, cheer and take more than a shot's worth from it.

It gets hazy after that a little but it's easy enough to get lost in the crowd of people dancing, the strobe lights casting magic even without the music pounding relentlessly in their ears.

Every now and then, he sees Kagome, her dark blue cape trailing behind or swirling around her. The more he catches sight of her, the clearer as all hell it gets. Kagome has her freaking pick of men. As much as there are tons of girls that flag her and hang around, there is just as many – if not more – guys. And sure, not all of them want her like that. But he can read it in their expressions easily enough. Hell, even Kouga, who's a star varsity athlete, is unable to help himself from staring just a little bit too long. It's something about her. The way she laughs or talks or moves as she expresses herself. It's like it pulls them in, all of them. It's fucking mind-boggling. There's too many people trying to– to– to _compete_ for her attention, almost.

It's not– Inuyasha's not crazy. He's not going to deal with that. It's just not worth it when he simply doesn't know if the reward will match the effort. And it's not like–

She's not out of his league. She's not.

But. Well.

She's out of his league.

Inuyasha watches her laugh with the group of friends she's surrounded by. He finishes off the bottle of rum in his hand and determines he's not going to think about it anymore. _Refuses_ to.

That way only lies madness and honestly, he's not crazy enough for that shit.

* * *

 **Next Time on _Tell Me I'm Crazy_ :** "Uh huh, right. I'm not some female emotion detector but I know when someone is holding back." Inuyasha waits until she looks at him again, long enough to keep her gaze. "So tell me: what am I missing?"

* * *

 **Responses to Anon Reviewers (Yes, I reply to everyone):**

 _Jo:_ I am, I am! *dances* Hope you enjoyed the chapter, dear! Thanks so much for the love.

 _xsachi:_ Hopefully this chapter was just as good as the first. You're so sweet, thanks so much for sticking with me *hugs*

 _Cammicupcake:_ I think a lot of people thought they were hallucinating. Thank you thank you thank you!

 _wakiia:_ Thanks hun! I hope you enjoyed it.

 _MazeMouse:_ I burst out loud, in a really undignified manner, when I read your comment. Pfft. You're the angel. Thanks love!

 _Brooke:_ Aww, thank you dear! I really hope you liked this one. Definitely more on the way and another story to be posted soon!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** The song they're all dancing to at the end is "This Girl" by Kungs vs. Cookin' On Three Burners, obviously with added bass and beat thanks to DJ Naraku-The-Fucking-Best :D

 **Feedback, as always, is love.**


	3. Part III

**Author's Note:** *waves*

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part III**

* * *

The thing about Inuyasha is that once he sets his mind to something, his mind doesn't change. He's stubborn as fuck and like Miroku constantly reminds him, he has the emotional capacity of a rock. Hung over as he is, lying in bed the morning after the Halloween party, Inuyasha can admit this to be true.

So when he decides that he's not going to think about Kagome and the possibility of something more, Inuyasha lets it go entirely. Before, when he was thinking about her after they first met, it was more a desperate sort of hope to stop the flood of thoughts he had. Inuyasha had sincerely believed he'd never see her again.

It's his life, so it kind of figures he got fucked over.

Regardless, it's over now. Kagome's attractive and nice, and that's great and all, but there's no guarantee a relationship would be worth the hassle of competing for her attention. Why even bother? He's gone this long without a serious girlfriend and he hooks up enough he's not exactly worried about being celibate.

His head feels like absolute death, fuzzy in all the wrong ways. Slowly, Inuyasha opens his eyes, sees the light streaming through the blinds he never closed and groans out loud.

Fuck his life, seriously.

* * *

 _Where are you?_

Several days later, Inuyasha stares down at his phone from where it vibrates on his nightstand. He's in his bedroom watching YouTube videos and while Miroku doesn't exactly have his schedule memorized, he only has one night class. It's not that hard to remember which day it falls on.

 _House y?_

The little bubble of dots pops up immediately, so clearly Miroku has nothing better to do with his life than torment his friends. _Come to Commons for dinner with me_.

Commons, or one of the main eating halls, is only a five minute walk. He could just reheat the stir fry he made a couple days ago but honestly, he feels like a burger and Commons makes freaking amazing ones. He just needs to put on pants, find a jacket and grab his laptop for class later.

 _K fine_ , he responds. _U owe me_ , he adds, because he has a reputation to uphold.

 _Loser._

Inuyasha gamely ignores that and gets ready, throwing his laptop and charger into his bag. It doesn't take him long to get to Commons and with the absurd neon yellow t-shirt Miroku's wearing, finding him takes mere moments in a sea of students. Miroku grins at him, half-eaten fries visible in his mouth. "You owe me," Inuyasha repeats, just in case his best friend didn't remember.

"Fuck off and get some food," Miroku says, waving him off. "Leave your bag. Oh, and Sango will be here soon too."

Inuyasha snorts and rubs at his face. "Oh good, so you're letting me buy my food first _before_ I lose my appetite when you start making out."

"At least you'll never get another virus from downloading porn." The statement is said with a disgusting amount of sincerity that Inuyasha needs to leave immediately before he starts to do something crazy like laugh.

There's always a long line for burgers at Commons but he dutifully waits. There are two girls behind him chatting away, talking about some really attractive professor they'd be more than happy to do extra work for. He's pretty sure it's all in jest but their voices grate on his nerves. This is why he doesn't like to go out in public. People are _annoying_.

"What will you have?" a kid with too many acne spots asks, chewing his gum obnoxiously. He looks bored. He's also holding a really large spatula that Inuyasha pictures hitting the girls behind him with.

He gets his food, the greasy burger sitting messily among the greasy, salty fries. Miroku is still stuffing his face with his own, looking like Spongebob Squarepants with that stupid yellow shirt on. He's going to have to do the world a favour and burn it the first opportunity he gets.

"Took you long enough," Miroku jabs, reaching over to take one of Inuyasha's fries the moment he sits down.

It's not worth it to punch him in the face but he has to tell himself that line about five times before he calms down. "You're a dick."

"You love me." Miroku grins. "What were you doing back at the house?"

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "Nothing really. Ignoring my homework. I've got this fucking report that I'm hoping will do itself. I'm just not that interested in finding at least five previous studies to prove a point that I'm making, only to screw myself with also finding at least three studies that completely go against what I'm trying to prove. In ten pages."

"You're the idiot in poli-sci," Miroku laughs. "I thought you enjoyed that shit."

He scrunches his face up because _enjoy_ is such a strong word. "I prefer it over everything else."

"Man – that says something about you." Miroku laughs again and then does this weird twitchy thing that Inuyasha thinks at first means he's choking to death. It's not until he sees Miroku's blue eyes light up like the fucking sun, looking someplace over his shoulder that he knows what's really going on. "Hey," he says.

Inuyasha is frankly impressed it didn't come out like a high-pitched nine year-old girl.

"Hey, how's it going?" Sango asks, going to Miroku's side and running her hands through his hair, ruining it. Miroku just looks fucking smitten.

He's about to chirp the shit out of him when the chair beside him moves and Inuyasha turns his head around only to see her.

Kagome.

 _Fuck_.

"Oh my god," Kagome groans, staring at his food. "That looks amazing. Saaaango, you promised me food."

Sango huffs and puts her bags down. "Yeah, let's go. I want salad but mostly pizza." The both of them start to walk away and with a last second wave, she calls back that they'll return soon.

Inuyasha glares at Miroku.

His best friend shrugs. "I don't know what the face is for."

And that's true. Inuyasha hasn't told anyone about his internal struggle back at the Halloween party, or even before that. When he and Miroku were talking about Inuyasha's girl problems, the conversation lasted less than ten seconds and ended in Call of Duty. And he didn't know that girl was Kagome. So his glaring has the effectiveness of a small, confused puppy.

"I thought it was just the three of us," he says slowly, shrugging back.

Miroku frowns slightly, looking into the Commons food area for the girls before looking back. "Why, is something wrong with Kagome? You guys were friendly at the party." He's leaning forward, blue eyes intense, as if what Inuyasha says now will be the most important thing he's ever said. This level of attention Inuyasha has only seen from Miroku on two occasions: when he was watching Sango creepily before they started dating and he was pining in a corner, and when Inuyasha accidentally walked in on him watching porn.

It's not a good feeling, to be honest.

"You're not going to kiss me, are you?" Inuyasha asks, somewhat stupidly.

Miroku's intense stare turns into something frankly horrified. "I could do a lot better than you if I wanted to kiss a guy."

Fair.

But the damage is done and Miroku's looking more and more alarmed as the seconds go by. Inuyasha sighs. "There's nothing wrong with Kagome. I don't care she's here; I was just surprised."

Lies. All filthy fucking lies.

"Stop, drop and roll, bitch," Miroku says, grinning. "Those pants are on _fire_."

Groaning, Inuyasha buys some time taking a bite out of his burger. He's neglected it this entire time and that's a travesty.

Miroku smiles even wider, the asshole.

"Fine," he says, mouth still partially full. He doesn't care, his friend deserves it. "Remember the person I met?"

It takes a moment but Miroku nods. "The girl."

"The perso–" Inuyasha pauses, because _yeah_. He has to concede at this point. "Yes." He shuts his mouth and stubbornly takes another bite of his burger.

Fucking Miroku.

But his friend is smiling even bigger now, wide and so happy it's like he's seeing his child graduate from kindergarten or something. "You are mentally fucked, you know that right?" he asks, and it's nearly a crow with how excited he is.

Swallowing around some food, Inuyasha shakes his head. "But Kouga likes her and at the party–" He cuts himself off, waving his hand dismissively. "Besides, she's crazy."

The smile is gone instantly. "What are you talking about?"

But Inuyasha sees the girls coming out of the corner of his eyes and just shrugs again. If Kouga is after Kagome, plus all the other guys, then Inuyasha isn't going to try. They're not even on the same playing field.

Miroku's alarmed look continues even as Sango sits down, making her roll her eyes at him. She asks him what his problem is, but Inuyasha is distracted near instantly by a nudge to his shoulder.

"Thanks for the idea," Kagome says, smiling at him. "I didn't know what I was craving until I saw your food. The line's a bitch though."

"Worth it," he replies. "Better than the shit at Keyes." It's another food option across from campus, one that Inuyasha refuses to go back to.

"They have good mac and cheese though!" she cries.

Inuyasha snorts. "Are you twelve?"

"Oh, you did not," Kagome answers, brown eyes staring at him incredulously. "Tell me the last time you've had mac and cheese."

He rolls his eyes. He will not dignify that with an answer.

"We are going to Keyes and I'm going to make you eat it," Kagome states. She takes a huge bite out of her burger and glares at him in a challenge.

The chance for actual follow-through is nearly non-existent, especially given that it was early November and exams were right around the corner. Inuyasha nods, accepting it and continuing to eat. He glances at Miroku and Sango, who are staring at them both, and wonders when his life became so fucking weird.

"Do you have practice tonight?" Sango asks randomly. It takes Inuyasha a moment to realize she was talking to Kagome, who is giving her friend a strange look.

"No?" Kagome says, mostly like a question. "I never go to practice on Wednesdays."

Sango laughs, a little forced. "Right, sorry. Thought it was Thursday. Will this week ever end?"

The table turns silent. Kagome is staring at Sango like she grew another head. Miroku is looking at Inuyasha, who is ignoring him in favour of watching Kagome. It's fascinating, really.

Turning away from Kagome's gaze, Sango smiles at him. "Better you than me going to Keyes. My ex-boyfriend works there so I won't visit unless I know he's not working."

"He dumped you, huh?" Inuyasha asks, taking another bite of burger. Kagome chokes beside him and Miroku sighs so loudly the nearby tables would be able to hear.

Sango snorts, magenta eyes playful. "He cheated so I told him if I saw him again, I'd stab him in the dick. Seeing him in a restaurant will make it near impossible for me to restrain myself." She sighs though. "My god, he was such an asshole. I'm horrified by my previous life choices."

"And yet." Inuyasha gestures towards Miroku, who flips him the bird while the other two laugh.

The conversation flows easily after that, and Inuyasha is content to listen to the rest of them. He doesn't often have that much to say unless directly asked, and he tries to avoid that at all costs. Instead, he watches Kagome and Sango talk animatedly to each other. Kagome flails a lot more when she speaks, her hands and arms gesturing wildly to get a point across. She re-enacts stories and conversations with faces that frankly should never be allowed.

Kagome is absurdly beautiful to watch.

Inuyasha abruptly looks away and searches his jean's pocket for his cell phone. Checking the time, he realizes he still has about twenty minutes before class begins. Thank god. He needs to fucking get out of there.

"Hey, I'm going to class," he says to Miroku, trying not to interrupt the other two.

Sango stops their conversation immediately and changes track. "Night classes are the worst."

"Thank fuck I only have one." Inuyasha stands up and swings his bag over his shoulder. "See you guys later."

They all chorus their goodbyes and Inuyasha resolutely does not look at Kagome before he goes.

* * *

He's playing Call of Duty when Naraku walks in, wearing nothing but boxers and holding his yoga mat under his arms.

It's Team Deathmatch, which he hates, so his attention is taken away against his will when his housemate strolls across the room. Naraku is kind enough to duck under the television though, for whatever that's worth.

"Why the fuck are you only wearing your boxers?" Inuyasha asks.

He dies from a bullet to the foot. Fucking cheating bitch game. Son of a _motherfuck_.

"I get hot," Naraku replies quietly. He goes over to the windows, unrolls the mat and slowly lowers himself onto it.

Aggravated beyond reason, he snaps, "And why the hell do you do this shit down in the living room?"

Naraku either is ignoring his tone or he doesn't understand Inuyasha's _justifiable_ anger because all he does is blink once, twice and then closes his eyes. "I like the light in here."

* * *

The end of days begins with his cell phone vibrating like a bastard on his nightstand.

Inuyasha groans, tugging at the sheets pooled around his waist. The weather is getting cooler but an upstairs bedroom still means his room gets hot as hell. Flipping over, he opens one eye slowly to glare at his phone. Eventually it falls silent. The call has ended.

Blessed silence resumes. Lulled into a false sense of security, Inuyasha closes his eyes and tries to fall back as–

The phone goes off again, angrily.

"Christ," he curses, shoving a big chunk of black hair out of his face to see it. He reaches out blearily, tilting it so he can see the caller display.

 _Fuck Face_ reads on the screen.

"No," Inuyasha moans, flopping back down on the bed. He ignores the phone that continues to go off at his side. "Why now?"

He shouldn't have asked, is the thing.

But after five minutes of the phone remaining silent, Inuyasha figures he's given up. He turns to face the opposite of the window where weak sunlight is being let in. He has another hour to sleep before he has to get up for classes. Trying once more, Inuyasha closes his eyes.

Hindsight, of course, is 20/20. He's going to regret this moment, sooner rather than later.

* * *

The teacher standing in front of the lecture hall has a thick strand of hair sticking up at an odd angle. It's thoroughly distracting him from whatever they're learning so when the professor starts to pick students at random to answer questions, Inuyasha prays for mercy.

But goddammit, that hair needs to sit the fuck down.

The professor turns, her eyes assessing the students around him, looking for weakness. Inuyasha stares right back at her, as if he's not scared shitless she's going to pick him. It's Poker 101 with professors and all he needs to do is stop her from calling his bluff.

A guy beside him squirms and the professor turns her head so sharply that the strand of hair finally flattens along her head. She's like a shark smelling blood in the water.

"Mr. Egata, care to give your opinion?"

Inuyasha doesn't smirk, exactly, but his face doesn't stay as carefully blank like it was before. The poor fucker, he's in for a treat. Inuyasha was watching him play Candy Crush on his phone most of the class. Which was sad because the guy was paying how many thousands of dollars to be there? But in all honesty, what was even _sadder_ was the fact that no one even played Candy Crush anymore.

Some people just couldn't keep up with the times.

The poor bastard stutters out a response that the professor doesn't care much for. If he's remembering right, the guy's name is Jinenji. Super nice, but not a looker. Shy and from what Inuyasha can see, he does extremely well in the class for all that he doesn't listen.

The professor spins around to continue her lecture, finally leaving them alone. Jinenji visually relaxes and unable to stop himself, Inuyasha offers a fist bump. "Stay cool, man."

The guy looks at him strangely before slowly reaching out with the tap. He shrugs afterwards, too, like he's not sure if he's done it right.

Slowly, like time purposely stretches itself out to spite them, the class ends, a new assignment being handed out. The professor gives Jinenji a look before she starts to pack up. Inuyasha can't help a snort, tucking his laptop away. Thank fuck it's Thursday, also known as Friday Junior.

"She's boring," a voice says from behind as he steps out the door. Inuyasha turns, surprised, because he's pretty sure someone is talking to him but the chances aren't likely. He can count on one hand the number of times a peer has willingly spoken to him outside of sheer necessity. Jinenji is staring down at him, somewhat sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I can't learn by listening to her ramble on. The textbook cases are more useful."

Inuyasha nods. He's not a big one for homework but crams it all in before a test or exam. "I could only stare at her hair. It was bothering me."

"It was practically floating the entire time," Jinenji agrees. He shuffles and turns a bit red, looking down at the floor. "Are you ready for the test next week?"

He should say something smart sounding. Instead all that comes out is: "Not a chance. I'll probably cram it all in, like usual."

Jinenji nods. Slowly, he looks up from the floor. Inuyasha is struck by how blue the guy's eyes are. Man, chicks must love that shit. Even he's feeling a little dizzy by them. "Well, if you ever want to study together, let me know. I'm usually in the library at some point in the day."

It'll probably make him look more stupid but frankly, solidarity against crazy ass professors is mandated at some point, especially with exams approaching in less than a month. "Yeah, sounds good. Here," he says, fishing out his phone from his pocket. One missed call from _Fuck Face,_ yet again. "Give me your number. We can organize a time."

For a second, Jinenji looks terrified. It's not until Inuyasha hands over his phone that the guy gets with the program.

"Hey, Inuyasha!"

He's not sure if he should groan or cheer. Parts of him are trying to stand at attention, anyways, like Pavlov's freaking dog. "Hey, how are you?"

Kagome smiles largely at him. "Pretty well. Better than the last time I met you outside of class."

"Yeah, rub it in," Inuyasha grumbles. "Can't you let that go?"

"Nope." Her brown eyes linger on him for a moment before she looks over at Jinenji, who is staring at the two of them and awkwardly holding out Inuyasha's phone. "Hi, I'm Kagome!"

"Jinenji," he responds, reaching out to shake her hand and turning red yet again. "Uh… Um."

"It's really nice to meet you," Kagome says, smiling kindly at him. "Are you a political science major too?"

"Economics, actually," he replies, shrugging. "This is, uh, my spare credits."

Kagome whistles lightly and briefly grabs Inuyasha's arm. She lets go near immediately but Inuyasha can't help but look down, missing the flare of warmth on his skin. Jesus, this woman. "Wow, my spare credits are all the easiest classes I can find. Good on you."

Stuttering slightly, Jinenji thanks her and then waves. "I'm going to go. I've got class."

He's going to be late as hell if he actually does. Inuyasha quickly types a text message to the new number. "I just sent you a text so you have my number. We'll talk soon."

Kagome waves as he goes and then grins up at him, all cheeky like. "You made a friend."

"I have friends. And I did not."

"Miroku's told me all about you. You don't fool me."

Inuyasha gives her the side eye. "You mean they don't just have loud sex at your place?"

"Our apartment is open concept. We have curtains for walls." Kagome nods towards the direction of her locker and without question he starts to walk with her.

He must be losing his mind.

"So they make sure I'm not around," she finishes. "Besides, usually when he's over he buys us pizza. I'll do nearly anything for pizza."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "He never buys me pizza, the cheap ass."

"You won't call him that when you see what he bought Sango for her birthday next week."

There's a moment where he processes that, the gears in his mind near screeching to start back up. "He bought her a gift?"

Kagome gives him a weird look. "Yeah, a bracelet. It's beautiful. He made me come with him to make sure it was right for her. Picked it himself though. Miroku was so proud."

"Haven't they only been dating for a couple months?" Like, _at most_. It hasn't been that long. He just started seeing her at the start of the school year. "Tell me the bracelet was from a wholesaler or something."

Another weird look but he doesn't think he deserves this one at all. "It's not really expensive but I couldn't afford it. But he has that really good summer job and he said he'll pick up a job on campus if he starts to run too low."

As if a person could just snap their fingers and get a job. Inuyasha rolls his eyes again. Miroku is such a tool. His family is pretty well-off financially so it's more likely he'd ask for a loan from his parents. "He didn't tell me."

"Probably because he knew you'd make that face," Kagome comments lightly. They stop at her locker and she starts to switch things out. She's not looking at him but Inuyasha lives in a house with six other guys – had once lived in a house where he was judged mercilessly – so he knows the feeling.

This right here?

Judgy-ness.

"What?" he demands, trying not to let his irritation show. He's pretty sure he doesn't want to hear anything that's going to come out of her mouth.

Kagome spares him a glance but shakes her head. "It's not my business, Inuyasha."

"Uh huh, right. I'm not some female emotion detector but I know when someone is holding back." Inuyasha waits until she looks at him again, long enough to keep her gaze. "So tell me: what am I missing?"

Sighing, Kagome makes a face at him, closes her locker door. "Is he your best friend? He calls you his."

Of all the things she could have said, he didn't expect that question at all. "Yeah, I guess."

"You guess." Kagome looks at him, distinctly unimpressed. "You know that Miroku and Sango love each other, right?"

"It's been two months, _of course they do_ ," he says.

Shaking her head, Kagome pushes. "No. Like they know this is a make-or-break kind of relationship. Sango's pretty sure Miroku's it for her."

Inuyasha snorts, ignores the look he gets for it. "How would she know after two months–"

"And if you ask Miroku in private, he says the same thing," Kagome interrupts. "He loves her. It's fast and crazy but they _know_. And they're in it together."

Inuyasha processes that, his lips tightening into a thin line. He stares straight ahead as they start to leave campus, heading towards the streets of residential housing that's almost entirely composed of renting students. The silence stretches on for quite a while and frankly he doesn't know if he wants to break it or not. It's a lot to take in, kind of. He's not shocked but if Inuyasha is being honest with himself, he didn't know. He didn't–

"I pointed it out because you're best friends," Kagome murmurs, barely loud enough to be heard over the brisk fall breeze. "And isn't this something you should know?"

–He didn't.

Inuyasha is worse off than he thought.

"How did the two of you meet?" Kagome asks, nudging his shoulder as they walk along the uneven sidewalk. "It's probably quite the story."

"Not…really?" Inuyasha shrugs, feeling awkward. He rubs the back of his neck, unsure of how to begin. "It was frosh week and we were both at a kegger at some place a few blocks away from campus. Probably the worst one ever but alcohol was involved. I was with my roommate – some douche who failed out of first year, by the way – when all of a sudden I was grabbed from behind and thrown in a closet."

Sighing, Kagome shakes her head. "Right, this story isn't interesting at all."

"Shut up," Inuyasha retorts, without any heat. He ignores the way her smile makes his chest tighten. Stupid body. They already had this discussion. "Yeah, so I'm in this closet and it's dark. I tried to get out but there's something blocking the door from opening. I was pissed off and yelling and then this light turns on and there he is, looking at me like the saddest fucking thing. The guy was pouting and all disappointed. He asked me if I was a girl and I punched him."

"Of _course_ you did."

"Turns out Miroku thought his friends did all this to hook him up with someone who also liked him, or whatever. If you ask him this story he'll probably tell it better." He rolls his eyes at that. "But the guys that trapped me in there forgot about us, so we were in the closet for a long time, drunk as hell and talking about shit all. He lived in the same residence building as I did, a single two storeys above, so when someone found us we stole some booze and drank back at his place."

"Nothing like alcohol to seal the bonds of friendships," Kagome comments. She shifts and then pulls out her cell phone, a message lighting up the screen. "Do any of you guys in Corner House do anything half-way?"

Inuyasha was about to ask who the hell else she knew, but then it occurred to him that Kagome knew everyone, especially Kouga.

Right.

"Can't speak for the rest of them," he says.

"Sango's at your place, says their watching a movie."

Inuyasha's first instinct is to make a crack about how the movie is a cover-up for other noises, but considering what they were talking about earlier, he stops. It feels wrong, to question it. He opens his mouth to say something anyways but the words won't come out.

He frowns, looks at Kagome who's completely ignoring him for her cell phone and then looks at Corner House, approaching ever closer.

What the fuck is wrong with him?

"Is it hurting you?"

Inuyasha pretends to not know what she's talking about. Apparently she wasn't ignoring him as much as he thought.

"The whole trying-to-be-nice-for-once thing," she continues, humour in her tone.

Kagome is many things. Funny is not one of them.

"Fuck off," is the only thing he's able to get past his lips, horrified that it's the best he can do at the moment. She laughs at him and gathers her hair in her hands to stop the breeze from whipping it around. It's disgusting, honestly, how much he finds her attractive. He probably has to get laid soon because this walk alone is quickly spiralling out of control. Getting punched lightly in the shoulder, Inuyasha finally realizes that while he's been internally freaking out, Kagome's been following him up the front door steps, waiting patiently as he unlocks the door.

She raises a brow at his stare. "They invited me to watch the movie with them," she explains rather slowly, like talking to a dimwitted child.

"So I'll need to put my headphones on and just ignore the real threesome that's probably– _Ow_ , what the _hell_?"

"You're a dick!" Kagome yells, hands flailing upwards in exaggeration as she brushes by him into the house. She takes her shoes off at the door, tosses her bag down like she's been here before and then heads to the living room. "You didn't even last five minutes of being a decent human being!"

Inuyasha watches her go and tells himself to fucking nut up already. Their whole acquaintance, it seems, is just him always watching her walk away.

Him just always not keeping up, as fucking expected.

* * *

As it turns out, the movie is being played in the living room and not only is Miroku and Sango in there, but Hachi, Ginta and Naraku too. Naraku, for once, is dressed.

"Do you think that Betty White is God?" Hachi asks the moment Inuyasha sits down on a couch, stealing the bowl of popcorn from Ginta. "I mean, the woman can't die."

"She's a national treasure," Kagome agrees.

"Look at the way she's squatting," Sango continues. "Thighs of steel."

The living room descends into silence as everyone becomes engrossed in Betty White chanting, luring Sandra Bullock's character into giving thanks to Mother Earth. It doesn't last though – it never does, not when Miroku gets up and starts to dance along.

"To the windows–" he yells, "to the walls! To the walls!" Sango tries to kick him from her spot on the couch but he shimmies out of the way and heads towards Hachi on the single recliner. "Sweat drips down my balls, now all you bitches crawl."

"Oh god, make it stop," Ginta moans, covering his eyes. "I don't need to see that from you."

"I think I can twerk," Miroku says, frowning in concentration as he tries to wiggle his butt. "Am I succeeding?" Hachi manages to land a proper kick and Miroku sighs dramatically, flopping over and landing on top of Sango. He raises his brows suggestively at her. "Want to go upstairs?"

"This is what I was talking about!" Inuyasha yells, pointing at the couple. In all fairness to Sango, she has a rather disgusted look on her face. "And where's _my_ pizza?"

"Pizza sounds like a fantastic idea," Ginta says, getting out his phone. "I'll see if Hakkaku wants some too."

"Yeah, yeah, text your boyfriend and ask. I'll just get a couple party size." Hachi grins as Ginta makes a swipe at him but misses. "Pizza means beer. Who wants a beer?"

"Thank god," Naraku mutters, "I thought no one was going to ask."

"Beers for everyone?" Miroku suggests, peering around awkwardly with his head in Sango's lap, trying to getting a good look at everyone.

Kagome shakes her head. "Not for me, thanks. I've got practice later."

"You _always_ have something," Sango laughs.

"Who is ordering this pizza?" Naraku interrupts. "And where is the beer?"

Hachi flips him off and pulls out his cell phone. "I'll order, you go get everyone a fucking beer."

Naraku rolls his eyes but gets up. "Neanderthals, all of you. Fine. Ginta, come help me."

"Fuck you."

Inuyasha, staring at Kagome the entire time since she mentioned the word 'practice,' frowns. "What practice?"

"Really?" Miroku asks, snorting.

Kagome shifts on the couch, turning to face him more. "I'm on the archery team."

"You're _captain_ of the archery team," Sango corrects. Kagome just rolls her eyes. "She doesn't talk about it unless you drag it out of her but last year she was second overall in university-level championships."

"You're making me sound like some sort of archery genius!" Kagome complains. She looks back at Inuyasha. "But yes, I'm really good."

"So if there was a target like 100 feet away, you could hit it no problem?" Ginta asks.

"With her eyes closed," Sango cuts in. "She shoots targets 200 feet away. It's insane."

"I hate you." But Kagome is smiling at Sango as she says it.

"There's a lesson to be learned about this," Miroku says, looking at Kagome with a face torn between awe and horror.

"Of course." Kagome smiles, as big and bright as the damn sun. Inuyasha can't look away, couldn't even if he wanted to. It gets even worse when those dark brown eyes land on his. "The lesson is that you can't run from me. If I want you, I'll make sure you stay. If you run, I'll just shoot you. And then I'll catch up. And then make you stay."

Sango reaches out to bump fists with her. Inuyasha can only swallow hard because this woman does shit to him that he can't even process. It's unfair, is what it is, that she can say stuff like that and he can't get anywhere near her.

Miroku is laughing like a goddamn hyena, big belly laughs that cause him to fall off of Sango's lap and onto the floor. "This is so great," he mutters, in between giggles. " _So great_."

Inuyasha doesn't understand what's so funny. Most likely, everyone has just fucking lost their minds.

* * *

 **Next Time on _Tell Me I'm Crazy_ :** Inuyasha glares dark brown eyes at his best friend. His best friend who is standing at his bedside, as if he can just waltz into Inuyasha's room without knocking or checking first. "Why are you here?"

Sighing explosively, Miroku flails his arms up. "Are you fucking deaf? I need your help! That is why I am here, dipshit."

Ugh. Sass. Inuyasha pulls the sheets back over his head.

* * *

 **Responses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Dida:_ Hello, yes I am! Welcome to the party! *throws confetti*

Wakiia: Thanks friend. As you can see above, I'm pretty damn fond of confetti.

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** I'm currently writing two other stories to post. One is about Inuyasha being a psychotic, murderous, robotic assassin. The other is about Inuyasha being James Bond and Kagome being Q. I LOVE SPY SHIT.

 **Feedback is love.**


	4. Part IV

**Author's Note:** Sorry guys for the delay. Long story short, LIFE. But I have to say, all of your feedback is so wonderful. I love you guys. I haven't yet responded to Chapter 3 reviews ( _bad Witchy, bad_!) but I'm doing that right now. Promise!

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part IV**

* * *

Fridays are the best day, not just because it's the weekend but because he only has one class and it's at 11:30 in the morning. He finishes his class just a little after noon, making a list in his head even as he starts his walk back to Corner House. It's already half-way through November and the assignments are starting to stack up like Jenga. The pieces are moving all around, pop quizzes and tests and reports shifting places until Inuyasha goes crazy. He's hoping to catch up on a lot of it today.

Corner House is pretty quiet but there's the sound of dishes clanking in the kitchen. Kicking off his shoes, Inuyasha makes a beeline for the stairs to dump his stuff off on his bed. He stares at his laptop, half spilling out of his bag before decided to make food first. Lunch right off the bat will make sure he's not distracted by hunger later.

It's the smart choice, really.

Booting up his laptop, Inuyasha plugs it in because it's near death and checks his phone. There's only one missed call from _Fuck Face_ , so he ignores it and heads down to the kitchen. There has to be some soup around or something. He desperately needs to go shopping, it's sad. There's only so long that he can steal from Miroku or Hachi before they notice.

The noises are still coming from the kitchen and once he takes a step into the room he stops, frustrated. Why can't he _ever_ catch a goddamn break?

"Hey," Kouga says, nodding his head slightly. He's holding a partially eaten sandwich in his mouth. The fucking delicious sandwiches. Of course.

Inuyasha just grunts and opens the cupboard, grabbing the last can of chicken noodle. He starts to prepare it, getting out the can opener and a small pot. But seriously, what asshole came up with the can opener? It's near fucking impossible to use. The twisting motion is all wrong – _all wrong_ – and if he twists too hard the can breaks free. All for some soup. _Soup_.

"Having problems?" Kouga asks. He doesn't sound like he's trying to be a dick but Inuyasha hates his guts anyways.

"I think whoever cans this shit is secretly the angriest fuck around." Inuyasha growls as he twists too hard yet again, the can teetering dangerously as it frees itself from the opener. Son of a _bitch_.

Chuckling, Kouga nods his head. "Probably. You're done classes now, yeah?"

It almost sounds like he cares. Inuyasha nods, finally succeeding in freeing the soup to dump it in the pot.

"Me too."

Inuyasha glances up at Kouga with a look of disdain before glaring at the pot on the stove. Why isn't the soup warm already?

"Plans for tonight?"

This conversation is painful. _Painful_. "Call of Duty with Miroku later, if he's not off with Sango." Inuyasha stares into the depth of the pot, manfully resisting poking the liquid to see how hot it is. All he wants to see is a bit of steam coming off, signalling near completion. That's all he wants. And then, he's going to take his delicious soup up to his room and complete two stupid assignments that make him want to smash his head into a wall, plus read three chapters for one of his classes. If he accomplishes all that, he's only about a week behind. Not bad, considering.

"He didn't say anything about being out tonight, so chances are good," Kouga responds. He shifts a little, blue eyes down on the table as if he's uncomfortable. "Have you ever gone out to Tortella's?"

Inuyasha raises his brows, a bit surprised. "Really? You think someone like me goes there? I don't exactly have a girlfriend to try and impress." He pauses, takes in the look of discomfort and finally gets it. "You're going tonight?"

"I guess," Kouga mutters. He almost looks unhappy about it.

"With a girl?" Inuyasha knows, but he asks anyways to fuck with him.

The soccer star glares daggers at him. Fair enough. "No, man, I'm going with Ginta. I hoping to woo him a little more and get the guy to finally put out after all this time." He rolls his eyes. " _With a girl_ ," Kouga imitates, mockingly.

Inuyasha's about to open his mouth to ask who, but without his permission the image of Kagome and Kouga dancing together at the Halloween party comes to mind. It's been two weeks since and he hasn't really seen them together, but that doesn't mean they're not talking. Or not dating.

In all honesty, Inuyasha's been trying to avoid Kouga like he has the plague. Inuyasha's only seen Kagome once and that wasn't by choice. She just… _accosted_ him in the hall practically, while he was talking with Jinenji. Making friends. Whatever.

So Inuyasha is not going to fucking ask but Kouga is looking at him like he _wants_ him to ask. There's a challenge in those stupidly attractive blue eyes and Inuyasha wants to growl but holds back.

The pot is steaming now, soup demanding to be stirred.

Thank fuck.

Turning around, Inuyasha grabs a spoon and does just that. He purposely keeps his back to the athlete and refuses to turn around. For his part, Kouga doesn't ask any more questions. The guy eventually finishes his sandwich and then walks nearby to dump his plate in the sink. He doesn't wash it, just leaves.

Inuyasha's so fucking grateful, it's pathetic.

He watches the noodles spin around and thinks, not for the first time, how much he wants to punch Kouga in his stupidly attractive face.

* * *

"You ass!" Miroku yells, bodily nudging at Inuyasha and throwing him off-balance on the couch. "You did that on purpose!"

"Obviously. This is Mario Kart, not fucking Call of Duty. We're not on the same team anymore."

"But you're Mario and I'm _Peach_. This is breaking all kind of rules. _The Code_." Miroku sighs, put upon. "How dare you. Destroying true love."

Inuyasha thinks about the way Kouga left in a nice blue dress shirt and jeans and then represses it because _fuck_. He is not imagining him and Kagome on a date. He is _not_. He needs to think about something else, something less focused on _him._ "So. You and Sango." Nice. Well done. Not awkward at all.

Raising a single eyebrow, like the infuriating fuck that he is, Miroku only spares him a quick glance before turning back to the game. "Yeah."

He didn't even phrase it as a question. What an asshole. His best friend is more than aware of how Inuyasha doesn't like to talk. "So you guys are… You're serious?"

Miroku snorts. "Yeah, I'd say so."

There's a lot of the word ' _so'_ going around. It's suspicious. "And you're happy about it?"

"Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

"No!" Inuyasha exclaims, realizing that this conversation has gotten away from him faster than a puppy bounding towards the road while on crack. "No, I meant, like, you were happy. You are happy? Like, to still be together. Two months, or something."

Great.

Can the couch swallow him whole?

Right now?

No?

For fuck's sake.

Miroku's blue eyes watch him for a bit, probably seeing the disastrous play of emotions trying to leak onto his face. He must take pity on him because he laughs and pauses the game. "Are you trying to ask how Sango and I are doing?"

"Yes!" Inuyasha explodes. How was that so goddamn hard?

There's a small smile playing on his lips. "We're good. She's pretty awesome. The sex is fantastic."

Shocking.

"But she's good for me too, I think. Sango doesn't let me get away with shit." Miroku grins at that. "So yeah, it's going well."

"Good." Inuyasha pauses, thinks about what more he should say. He's glad? Congratulations on finding a woman that crazy to match your level of crazy? "Well done."

At that, Miroku gives in and just flops back on the couch, giggling. He's shaking his head so hard the little rat's tail of his hair shakes loose, the strands falling over his shoulder. Holy hell, he needs to get a haircut. "You, my friend, are the most emotionally stunted individual I know."

Shrugging, Inuyasha waits it out. He's been the butt of these jokes for a while now.

"But I wouldn't have you any other way." Miroku hits him hard on the shoulder, grins at him for a moment more before grabbing the controller again and resuming the game.

Peach destroys Mario, but like all love stories, that's a given.

* * *

This report is going to kill him, or at the very least make his eyes bleed.

Inuyasha dims the brightness on his laptop, sad once he realizes it's already as dim as it can go. There's only so many hours he can stare at the screen, trying to finish off a stupid essay.

His phone vibrating beside him on the desk startles him. He takes one look at the caller ID, rolls his eyes and refuses to answer.

Three calls later and finally, blessed silence.

Of course, he hasn't typed a single thing the entire time the phone was going off, letting his mind wander instead to things he's rather forget. A text message comes through: _Answer me._

Inuyasha smirks, backs out of the message and opens up his last conversation with Jinenji. _Hows it going?_ he types out. The essay is due tomorrow; there's no doubt about what he's talking about.

Not even five seconds later, he gets a response. _Debating if I can die falling only two storeys._

So it was going well for him too then. _Prob not._

 _Faaack_.

Determining that he needs a break – needs _something_ – before he can write the last two paragraphs, Inuyasha gets up and heads towards the living room downstairs. If he's lucky, the boys are playing video games and he can chirp the shit out of them. That always makes him feel better.

He's right, thank god. Hakkaku, Ginta and Kouga are sitting on the large couch, playing Borderlands. There are weird space zombie looking things shooting at them and in the space of five minutes, Hakkaku dies twice and nearly throws the controller six times. He swears colourfully and Ginta, the only one not playing, cackles loudly.

"You fucking suck," Inuyasha interrupts, leaning on the back of the couch.

"Go die," Hakkaku grumbles, making Ginta laugh even more. "You're even worse at this game!"

"Am I?" Inuyasha asks. "Have you ever seen me play to know?"

He hasn't; he knows for sure. He's only played the game twice in his life and both times were when no one was around. He is true levels of suckage at it. Hence the not-playing.

"Don't complain," Kouga chides. "We're still going to make the next checkpoint."

"You're in way too good of a mood, it's not fair," Ginta points out. "You were dying constantly earlier and weren't even phased. You should get laid more often, huh?"

What.

What.

Inuyasha suddenly can't look away from the TV because _seriously?_ Of all the times Ginta could bring it up, he brings it up now. Inuyasha didn't fucking want to know about Kouga's date with Kagome. He absolutely did not.

Kouga laughs and shakes his head. "You don't have any clue what you're talking about."

Inuyasha pushes off the couch and leaves.

Fuck _that._ He rather his eyes bleed from the computer screen.

He hears Kouga curse but the bastard probably just died in the game. Selfishly, Inuyasha is pleased.

* * *

"I need your help."

"No."

"Please? Pretty please?"

Inuyasha groans and pulls the sheets over his head. He wrote a test first thing this morning and had gotten up extra early to cram more in. He _was_ trying for a nap but… Blearily, he checks the clock. Well, he had already been asleep for a couple hours.

"Seriously, help a bro out."

Inuyasha glares dark brown eyes at his best friend. His best friend who is standing at his bedside, as if he can just waltz into Inuyasha's room without knocking or checking first. "Why are you here?"

Sighing explosively, Miroku flails his arms up. "Are you fucking deaf? I need your help! That is why I am here, dipshit."

Ugh. Sass. Inuyasha pulls the sheets back over his head.

"Stop that!" the blue-eyed man chides. "Get up and come down to the kitchen. There's food."

Well. Why Miroku didn't lead with that is beyond him.

"Free food?"

"You didn't pay for it, did you?" Miroku retorts. "Come on, downstairs."

"Okay," Inuyasha relents, tossing the sheets back. "What are we doing?" He turns to look at Miroku but he's already gone, fleeing back to the kitchen. It takes him a couple of minutes to get down there but when he does, he can't take his eyes away from the disaster zone that is the counter. "What have you done?"

Blue eyes widen, the puppy dog eyes out in full. "It's not what it looks like."

"It looks like you're baking a cake."

Miroku's lips tighten and then he nods. "Okay, it's exactly what it looks like. It's Sango's birthday today and somehow I was dared to make a cake and like… I really need help. This shit is hard."

Inuyasha comes over, takes in the empty box of cake mix and the bowl filled with eggs and liquid. "What's wrong? It looks like it's all fine. I've never made a cake before." He grabs the box and reads the directions.

"I've followed the directions but there's a problem." Miroku looks almost sheepish. "We don't have an electric mixer."

It all makes sense now. "You brought me down here to help you mix it by hand?"

"My hands were cramping!"

"You lied about the food!"

Miroku makes a humming sound. "Kind of but not really. More of an omission."

Sighing, Inuyasha grabs the bowl and the wooden spoon that his friend must have found in the depths of their kitchen drawers. "Fine. At least let me mix it in front of the TV. Two minutes of high speed on a mixer has to be like seven minutes by hand."

"You're making that up."

"Obviously. I've never been insane enough to make a cake."

Miroku shrugs because, well yeah. Point taken. Inuyasha vaguely wonders why he's so fond of the guy but it doesn't stop him from sitting down on the couch and stirring as hard as he can while his best friend finds a decent channel to watch.

He makes it two minutes straight of stirring before his arm screams at him. "This is painful. What the fuck."

"Here, my turn." Miroku takes the bowl and stares into it, a little sad. "Do you think it's stirred enough already?"

"Asking me is not going to help you. I don't know shit, remember?" He too looks into the bowl, ignoring the old action movie playing on the TV. "Maybe a little more? What could it hurt?"

"Famous last words," Miroku sighs, but starts stirring anyways.

Eventually, they deem it ready enough to put in the pans. Miroku slides them into the oven and checks the clock to put on the timer. He looks so focused, it makes Inuyasha wonder. Miroku is a lot of things: loud and friendly, kind of perverted especially when drunk, loyal to a T and popular in that effortless sort of way that Inuyasha has never understood. Despite what Kagome says, Miroku really is his best friend. Inuyasha just never had one before he met him so he doesn't exactly have a lot of experience in handling it. His life before university was a little trapped.

"So you really like her." He doesn't mean to say it but it comes out anyways.

Miroku rolls his eyes but still looks at him with an ounce of affection. "Yes, you goddamn rock. I really like her."

"Like marry her like her?" He's not asking to be mean, he's actually curious.

"Man, I don't know. Eventually? Let's try and make it a year first," Miroku jokes. He shrugs though, almost like an afterthought. "It kind of seems like it could be though. We – like – mesh well, or something. I haven't read enough chick books to explain it."

Inuyasha snorts. "I know for a fact you have a man crush on Edward Cullen."

Groaning loudly, his friend flips him off. "Fuck off, liar."

They head back into the living room and start to play video games while the cake is baking. They play Call of Duty because believe it or not, there's less of a chance of one of them freaking out (fine, of Inuyasha freaking out; he knows it's a problem). Thankfully he plays more often but Miroku holds his own pretty well. He's not keeping count, more focused on his own kills.

But then Hachi enters the room. "Why do you suck so much?" he asks, flicking Miroku on the temple. "You're a Mario Kart genius and then this happens."

"I'm nervous, don't judge me!" the blue-eyed man yells out. "I keep hoping that cake doesn't explode. Or _worse:_ taste like shit."

"I'll taste test it if you're that worried," Hachi scoffs. "And why the hell are you baking a cake?"

"It's Sango's birthday today," Inuyasha explains. He gets a headshot off of a wall jump. "He's still wooing her."

Hachi laughs far too loudly and collapses on the nearby chair. Slowly, he reaches under the chair cushion and then pulls out a chocolate bar. Making a noise of approval, he opens it and then tosses half of it in his mouth.

"How can you eat that?" Inuyasha asks, somewhat horrified. He would be fully horrified but he died on screen due to a bullet that _didn't even hit him_. There are more important things to be horrified at.

"I eat my feelings," Hachi states. "I'm nervous too. I have like five tests tomorrow."

"Did you study?"

"Like every second of the past billion days." The engineer sighs dramatically. "There's no way to pass this shit. So I focus instead on the Exams are Fucking Over party."

Miroku snorts. "I don't think that's healthy." He shoots, misses, and sighs. "At least tell us what theme it is."

"I don't know," Hachi answers. "We haven't done one of those anything-but-clothes parties in the while. I think it may be appropriate."

"Lazy," Miroku chirps, but grins anyways. "What are you going to–" Just then, the timer goes off for the cake. Immediately he pauses the game and Inuyasha complains loudly. He was _on a streak_. "Shut up and come check the cake with me," his friend yells, already in the kitchen. The sound of the oven opening squeaks into the living room, forcing Inuyasha to get up.

He nearly laughs at the expression on Miroku's face. "Did it explode?"

"No!" Miroku exclaims, straightening up. "But how the fuck do I know if it's done or not?"

Inuyasha rolls his eyes and waves a hand at himself. "Again, I don't have a clue. Does it look done?"

"What does done look like?" Miroku asks, sounding more and more concerned. "It's always covered in icing when I eat it!"

"Tap it on top!" Hachi yells from the living room.

Miroku, head straining around the doorway so fast he probably got whiplash, glares at their roommate. "What?"

"Tap the top, or kind of poke it. Press down on it with a finger quickly and see if it pops back up immediately." Hachi shrugs, then reaches back under the chair cushion to pull out another chocolate bar. How the fuck did they get there in the first place? _When_? "That's what my mom does."

Inuyasha turns off the oven and stares at the cake. "Poke it then."

Miroku shakes his head viciously. "Nope. You can do it."

"What?" he exclaims. "Why the fuck would I do it?"

"I need someone to blame if it turns out badly!"

Inuyasha groans. "It'll be fine. Sango will be wooed, I'm sure."

"Poke it."

"No."

"Do it."

"No!"

Miroku glares at Inuyasha. "You _owe_ me."

"For what, asshole?"

"For being _your friend_ , asshole!"

Inuyasha scrunches up his face and then looks into the oven. The heat radiating out of it feels pretty nice. He sighs. Miroku has a bit of a point, but he's kind of a dick. "Fine."

"Don't ruin it," his blue-eyed friend warns. "I'll be pissed."

Desperately, he wants to scream at Miroku to just do it his damn self then, _for fuck's sake_. But whatever. He's going to be the bigger man, or whatever. Ugh.

Slowly – ever so slowly – Inuyasha reaches his finger towards the cake. The crazy shit he does for friends, Jesus Christ.

He pokes it.

* * *

"What the hell happened to this cake?"

Miroku groans, flinging a hand over his forehead and covering his eyes. "Long story short–"

"He's shit at icing," Inuyasha interrupts, grabbing his friend's hair to stop him from talking. "The cake itself is good though. Fluffy and shit. It's just the icing."

"It's melting and I don't get why!" he complains loudly, throwing his hands up in the air.

"But the cake itself is fine," Inuyasha reminds him, nodding firmly.

Sango looks at the cake, then at the two of them with a sort of frozen smile on her face. "I'm sure it'll taste fine. Miroku, stop having a heart attack. Get inside."

Miroku enters without a problem, kicking off his shoes and tossing his coat onto the rack on the side. Inuyasha takes a step in and hesitates, because _what the fuck did he just enter?_

It's not an apartment so much as it's a world of frilly pink things and pillows. He remembers that Kagome told him their apartment was open-concept. That's almost an _understatement_. The place is nothing more than a massive room with pink and white curtains everywhere. There's a beige couch to the far side with a TV and several pink, fuzzy bean bags. Pillows – large and small and shaped like random animals – are scattered everywhere. And there are girls.

Everywhere.

Staring at them.

"Hey!" Kagome calls, appearing from behind a curtain with nachos on a big plate in front of her. "You guys finally showed. Is that the cake?"

"Miroku actually did it!" Sango exclaims, looking pleased. She nudges her boyfriend with her hips and then disappears behind the same curtain Kagome came from. Inuyasha can only assume that's where the kitchen is. "Go introduce them while I get some more drinks."

Inuyasha looks at Kagome, who is smiling and grabbing at Miroku to push him towards the living room. She seems so normal. Relaxed.

Did she or did she not go on a date with Kouga?

How does he know for sure?

Inuyasha shakes his head because seriously, he can't be _this dumb_. He made a decision. He doesn't go back on his decisions. Kagome is a no-no. She's out of reach. She's like…kryptonite or whatever it is that makes Superman super lame. She smiles a lot and talks to _everyone_ and she does competitive archery ( _what the flying fuck?_ ) and frankly, with the way she already has put the judge-y eyes on him…

Not worth it.

Nope.

As he has thought before, again and again and again: he's not crazy enough for all that shit.

Inuyasha knows this in his heart of hearts, or whatever it is Miroku says when he's drunk. But, basically, it just means that he knows what he is and what he isn't. Inuyasha isn't popular. He doesn't like talking to people, doesn't like meeting people and frankly, would rather play video games with Miroku until the end of time. Parties are great for drinking and taking the edge off, but that's it.

Fingers snap in his face. "Stop being weird," Kagome states, giving him an unimpressed stare. It's ruined a moment later when the corner of her lips twitch upwards, fighting a smile. "What were you thinking about?"

If Kagome thinks Kouga is a good kisser, now that she mentions it.

"Nothing," he says instead, faintly. He lets himself get dragged into the living room, or the biggest open space of the house where the TV resides.

There are five girls and a guy already there, most of them on top of a monstrosity of pillows thrown to the ground. They all smile invitingly, shoveling popcorn into their mouths.

"This is Miroku – some of you already know – and this here is Inuyasha, his friend. Meet Koume, Shippo, Yuka, Eri, Ayumi and Ayame."

Well. Now he's just fucking confused. Kagome vaguely pointed but Inuyasha was a bit delayed and now he has all these names and knows none of them.

Perfect.

He loves social situations.

At least he kind of knows Koume and Shippo. It was easy enough to follow along in the beginning. The girl actually looks somewhat familiar but he can't place why, exactly. Shippo tries to toss some popcorn into his mouth, misses, shrugs, and then puts it in his mouth anyways.

"Get comfy somewhere," one of the other women – the redhead – says. "There's the beanbag chair over there."

"What movie are we watching again?" a girl with black hair and a yellow headband asks, calling into the kitchen.

"I told you, Eri, the Tarzan one!" Sango replies. "Margot Robbie's my girl."

"Are we at least drinking heavily?" Miroku asks. "If Sandra Bullock's not in the movie, I'm rarely interested."

Kagome bursts out with four bottles of wine, a bottle of vodka and a bottle of rye. "Obviously." She puts everything down just as Sango comes back in with solo cups and a bucket of ice.

Everyone starts to pour themselves a drink but the redheaded woman moves across the carpet until she's right beside him, ignoring the drinks completely. Inuyasha doesn't know if there's a reason and he looks around himself, just in case. Beside the beanbag chair, there's literally nothing. The woman comes closer still.

Oh god, he's going to have to talk.

"So," she says, grinning. "You're Inuyasha."

He nods, opens his mouth to introduce himself and then realize that's a fucking dumb idea. "Yup." Inuyasha tries for a smile and then stops when she starts to look concerned. "And you are?"

It probably looks bad – considering Kagome introduced everyone not too long ago – but the redhead doesn't seem perturbed. "Ayame. It's nice to finally meet you. Did you ever end up going to the homecoming game?"

What a random goddamn question. He must look confused because she laughs now, amused. "I work for the Ath and Rec department. I'm her inside woman." At that Ayame winks, bright green eyes sparkling. "So if you ever need tickets, let me know and I'll see what I can do."

"Way to make me _useless_ ," Kagome complains. "Now what am I going to bribe him with to keep talking to me?"

"Pretty sure it won't stop you from talking anyways," Inuyasha says. Ayame looks at him somewhat incredulously but Kagome rolls her eyes and turns around. "I didn't mean it like that!" he adds. "It's good you talk!" Now the other three women he only vaguely knows are staring at him: Yuka, Eri and Ayumi. Shippo and Koume are seemingly in their own little alcoholic world at the moment.

"Oh yeah?" Sango asks, kicking at him with her foot. She hands him a solo cup filled with a rye and coke. "I've certainly never said that about her."

"Dangerous territory," Miroku says in a singsong voice, making Inuyasha wince.

"That's not what I _meant_." And he's not whining. He's _not_. "I don't talk a lot so someone _has to_. Between you and me, you're definitely the one that spills his guts. Mostly about Sango. And wooing her. And shit. See? When around me, the other person has to talk. Not me."

Miroku's blue eyes are watching him, a sort of horrified fascination crossing his features. Sango laughs and starts to talk about the movie, dragging away everyone else's attention. Still, his best friend continues to give him the strangest of looks. "You're practically inept," he whispers, near worshipping.

"Oh shut up," he hisses back. Seriously. Why the fuck is Miroku his best friend?

"It's okay," Kagome says, poking his shoulder. He wasn't even aware that she was still paying attention, assuming she'd be listening to Sango. "I understand what you're saying."

" _Finally_." He practically explodes with it.

Shaking his head sadly, Miroku takes a sip of his drink. To avoid saying anything else that's stupid, Inuyasha does too.

Sango eventually starts the movie, which turns quickly into a contest of who is hotter: Margot Robbie or Alexander Skar-something-rather. Inuyasha doesn't fucking know, despite the fact that the one girl with short black hair says it constantly.

"Oh my _god_ Yuka, shut _up_ already about him," Shippo snaps. "Yes, he has a ten-pack. No, no real man is like that."

Right. Short hair was Yuka. Headband girl was Eri. Redhead girl was Ayame. Redhead guy was Shippo. Koume was the girl that looks familiar for no reason at all. Ayumi must be the other one.

He's so caught up in just trying to figure out who the fuck is who that he misses most of the movie and what's happening. The plot doesn't exactly strike him either, so Inuyasha just pours himself another drink and sips it slowly. The girls in the room are getting drunk pretty quickly, pouring glass after glass with absolutely no care. This isn't one of Corner House's parties though and therefore, Inuyasha can't get lost in the crowd of people knowing each other. It makes it different, a kind of anxiety he doesn't often feel. The rye and coke tastes good going down but he's hesitant to have more than necessary.

Partway through – or maybe most of the way through, Inuyasha is _so goddamn lost_ – Sango demands cake. They've all been snacking on chips and nachos and these cracker things that are fucking delicious enough to be crack. He's a bit too full but Kagome comes out with Miroku's cake covered in candles.

Everyone sings.

Inuyasha only mouths the words. No one needs to hear his singing voice.

Eventually, Kagome cuts the cake and makes sure to give everyone a slice. At first he wasn't going to take one, but she looks at him with those dark eyes and that stupid sunshine smile and he kind of just holds his hand out, waiting for the plate he doesn't want with the cake he doesn't want to eat.

At least it looks edible.

About to tell Miroku as much, he notices that his blue-eyed friend is looking particularly worried. He's twitching uncontrollably, sitting on his hands and squirming as each slice of cake is passed around. You would think from his reaction that he poisoned the damn thing and that they were all going to die.

"Calm down," Inuyasha states, kicking him in the shin hard. It's painful enough that Miroku shouts at him and flips him off. "It tastes fine."

"You haven't even taken a bite of it yet!" Miroku exclaims, flailing a hand at him and almost knocking the plate to the ground.

"Oh my god, you're such a pain." It's maybe rude to eat it before everyone has a slice, but Miroku is panicking and frankly, he has to eat it now. Taking a massive chunk out of the slice, Inuyasha stuffs the whole thing in his mouth.

Suddenly, Sango groans. " _Holy crap_ , you actually made this?" She sounds incredibly happy, her magenta eyes practically fucking twinkling as she takes another bite. Inuyasha has to agree with her because it _is_ good, even if they messed up with the electric mixer bit.

"Icing isn't bad either, despite how it looked," Kagome teases. She giggles then, dips her finger into the icing and then smudges it on Sango's cheek. "Happy birthday beautiful!"

Sango beams and cheers, and the rest of the group lifts up their drinks to down massive gulps.

Later, when everyone is drunk and giggling and the movie is off but music is playing, Inuyasha sits in the beanbag chair and makes a face at Miroku. "Guys, _come on_. There are guests here!"

Sango detaches herself from Miroku for a second and glares at him. "Are you the birthday girl?" Her stare sharpens and she waits. Inuyasha refuses to say anything but it becomes clear that the question, while rhetorical, demands an answer.

"No," he admits, somewhat grudgingly.

"Then shush. Mingle."

Miroku winks at him, the fucker.

He gets up for another drink and if Kagome happens to be right beside the alcohol, then so be it. She's talking to Ayame, laughing at her and making stupid faces he doesn't understand. She looks incredibly pleased with whatever she's doing though and it makes something flip in his stomach.

"Hey!" Kagome says when he heads over, grabbing his arm. She's clearly drunk, bursting into his space without hesitation. "Where did you go?"

"Just over there," he says, waving at the beanbag chair where he has literally been sitting the entire night. The whole time. Not once did he move, not even for the delicious cake.

"Oh."

Ayame butts in, asking, "Did you want another drink?"

He nods and she goes about putting in some ice, dumping at least three shots worth of rye into a cup and then topping it off with coke. He doesn't comment because the green-eyed girl smiles at him so wide like this is the greatest thing she's done all night.

Holy crap. They must be sloshed to shit.

"I've been drinking vodka all night," Ayame admits. She looks over at a bottle of wine, open only because of Koume in the corner, still talking to Shippo. Jesus Christ, the two of them need a room as well. What is it with couples when they're drunk?

"Do you have more vodka at your place?" Kagome asks.

The redhead pouts. "No. I drank it all last week."

"You were nervous!" Kagome coos, pointing rather aggressively. She tugs on Inuyasha's arm and oh, she hasn't let go. Not since she took a hold of him when he walked over. Inuyasha just…hadn't really noticed that she never let go. "But it went well, right? I told you it would!"

Inuyasha is more lost now than he was during the goddamn movie.

"Yeah," Ayame says, smiling almost shyly. "It was good! He was sweet."

"Well I'll drink to that!" Kagome cheers and unnecessarily adds more vodka to both of their drinks. Inuyasha has to aggressively move his cup out of her reach so she doesn't attempt the same with him. Kagome beams his way.

"So how did you two meet?" Ayame asks suddenly, looking between the two of them with curious green eyes.

Inuyasha can't help it: he groans. "No."

"It's a great story!" Kagome whines. "Come on. What's funnier than explaining how you got so drunk on a Tuesday night that you fell asleep under a tree? And that we met because I thought you may have been dead and in trying to check your pulse, I actually woke you up?"

"That is not–"

"And your first words to me were, and I quote, _what the actual fuck_."

Several things happen all at once. With horror, Inuyasha notes that Miroku and Sango are no longer making out on the couch like they previously were. In fact, the grossly indulgent couple was standing behind Kagome, seemingly to get at the bottle of wine. Kagome waves dismissively at him and looks at Ayame, says, "And the rest was history."

Miroku's blue eyes are as wide as saucers. " _No_ ," his whispers, sounding like he's half in awe and half horrified. Then the other shoe finally drops. "ARE YOU SERIOUS?"

Spinning around, Kagome finally sees that Sango and Miroku are right behind her. She spins again, wobbles in her drunken state, and gives him big pleading eyes that seriously compete with Miroku's. "I didn't know."

"You met Kagome because she tried to make sure you were alive?" Miroku is literally squeaking. "You were hung over, under a tree and _that's_ how you two met?"

Inuyasha closes his eyes. He takes a deep breath. Lifting the nearly full cup of rye and coke to his lips, he downs nearly all of it in one go.

"I'm sorry!" Kagome practically wails.

Suddenly assaulted by arms everywhere, he's startled to realize that the black-haired woman is trying to hug him, her face buried in his sweater.

Inuyasha looks down at her, looks back up at Miroku and panics. This is not the course he's supposed to be staying on. He– He and Kagome can't be a thing. She's outgoing and _just hugs people for no reason_ and is the life of the goddamn party. She's dating Kouga and they probably had sex, if Ginta was right. Kouga is a bitchy video game player though so if he was sucking and not yelling at the television, chances were good. And he won't get in between…that.

No. Just–

No.

Excusing himself and dodging Miroku's swipe at him to keep him close, Inuyasha makes a run for the bathroom.

He is not hiding.

Leaning on the bathroom counter, staring at himself in the mirror, it occurs to him that maybe–

Well.

Maybe he is.

A while later – or maybe not that long after, it's kind of hard to tell what with the staring into his own eyes thing – there's a knock on the door. "Inuyasha–"

"Nope," he replies instantly, the second he hears Miroku's voice. "We are not talking about this!" Opening the door rather aggressively, he comes face-to-face with his best friend, who is blinking at him owlishly.

"Talking about what?" Miroku asks. He looks incredibly confused but that's probably because he's decently drunk.

Inuyasha sighs. He's not sure if it's out of relief though, and it throws him off. "What did you want?"

"Sango and I are kicking everyone out." He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and when Inuyasha only gives him a dead stare, he does a little hip-thrusting dance.

"Please stop."

"You weren't getting the message," Miroku assures him, patting him consolingly on the shoulder. "But anyways, can you make sure Ayame and Kagome get back to their place okay? They're pretty hammered."

Inuyasha frowns. "Kagome lives here though."

Letting out an exasperated breath, Miroku gives him his most judgemental look. "She's being sexiled. My god man, get with the program. Should I be worried about you too?"

Right. Curtains for walls. It's all starting to make sense.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku is actually looking worried now and the hand that's on his shoulder tightens. "Are you good? If not, we'll just call an Uber or something for you guys."

"No," he replies, shaking his head. "No, I'm good." Gently, he shakes off Miroku's hand and then goes towards the front of the apartment. Kagome and Ayame already have their coats on but Kagome is giggling loudly as her redheaded friend tries – and mostly fails – to get on her boots.

On the floor, struggling but obviously enjoying herself, Ayame is surprisingly the first to notice him. "Our saviour!" she cheers, zipping her boot up.

"More like security," Sango says, coming out from only god knows what curtain and grinning. "Make sure they get back okay, please?"

"Shippo could have walked us," Kagome points out but Sango laughs at that instantly.

"He's smaller than you and was just as drunk. He and Koume grabbed an Uber."

He frowns at Sango. How fucking long was he hiding in the bathroom for? She doesn't spare him a glance but he gives up anyways. Putting on his own coat, Inuyasha listens as the three girls chat away. They're talking about something that Ayumi said earlier and it forces him to pause, lean over to look into the living room.

Nope. Those other girls are gone too.

Huh.

"Are you ready to go?" Kagome asks, tucking her hands around his arm. She tugs none too gently and it nearly sends them both staggering. Ayame laughs, snorts and then bursts out laughing even harder.

"You guys are _so_ drunk," Sango says fondly. She hugs Ayame and then blows a kiss at Kagome. "See you tomorrow."

"Maybe," Kagome replies. "Maybe I'll live with Ayame from now on. I bet she wouldn't sexile me."

" _Bye_ ," Sango huffs, making a shooing motion. "Text me when you guys get inside."

Miroku's leaning on the wall beside Sango and he blows a kiss at him. "Yes, you too studmuffin. Don't forget to text."

"Bite me," he replies, rolling his eyes.

Finally – _finally_ – they are out the door and making their way down the stairs. Ayame practically runs down, yelling something up at them as she goes. Inuyasha's pretty sure it's well past midnight. People will probably get mad if they don't get out soon. It's slow going however; Kagome won't let go of him and the staircase is narrow.

"You can let go, you know," he says, mostly because he has no idea why she's holding on in the first place.

"It's going to be cold," Kagome comments, looking at him like it's the most obvious reason in the world. "Body heat."

He doesn't point out that they're still inside.

"Come on, slowpokes!" Ayame shouts without care. "Get your asses down here."

"Enough out of you!" Kagome yells back. At this rate, he's going to end up deaf.

The outside air, when they finally make it, is just a bit too cold. They had a good run with a really warm autumn, but now winter was definitely coming. The night was dark, the moon hidden behind clouds. Inuyasha looks up at the sky for a moment and takes a breath. It's so much more peaceful outside in the quiet.

"Oh don't get all philosophical, staring at the damn stars," Ayame grumps. She grabs onto Inuyasha's other arm – the one Kagome isn't attached to – and starts to drag them both. "My house is like ten minutes away and it's freaking cold."

"Could have called an Uber but _no_ ," Kagome complains. "You wanted to walk."

"It's refreshing, even though it's really cold." Ayame grins. "Besides, we have Inuyasha to keep us warm. It's not all that bad."

Inuyasha doesn't understand women. He would be the first to admit that and wouldn't care if anyone made fun of him. He can barely have a conversation with someone he doesn't know. Territory like this is dangerous because a tiny part of his brain thinks that maybe Ayame is flirting with him. He's, like, seventeen percent sure.

She winks.

Okay, maybe twenty-two percent.

"Do you play any sports?" she asks suddenly, smile never leaving her face.

Inuyasha tries not to frown and stares straight ahead. "No."

"No?"

"No."

Kagome nudges him. "Why not?"

"I was homeschooled," he answers, shrugging, "and my brother didn't sign me up for soccer or anything extra-curricular. I guess I wasn't really interested either. I don't remember ever asking." That's mostly a lie, but whatever.

"Kagome's captain of her archery team."

" _Ayame_ , oh my god," Kagome whines. "Nobody cares."

"What?" the redhead asks. Purposefully, she pushes so that all three of them stagger sideways onto someone's lawn. "It's cool! And there's the tournament coming up. Don't worry Inuyasha, I'll make sure you get a ticket."

Kagome snorts. "I'm pretty sure it's free."

" _Whatever_ , he'll get a ticket."

Inuyasha shakes his head and sighs. So much for a peaceful night.

Ayame is oddly persistent, nudging him again and again until he looks at her. Inuyasha has no idea what she wants because all she does when he spares a glance is grins at him and then looks at Kagome. Women were fucking weird. "So what do you do for fun?"

He stops instantly, making Kagome yelp and Ayame laugh. She swings back with the rebound and bumps into him hard. With the three of them all linked by arm, it forces them to all shuffle. "Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Why are we not walking when it's cold?" Kagome complains, holding onto him tighter. "Come _on_." She pulls at him and reluctantly Inuyasha moves again. He refuses to look at Ayame but Kagome he watches, seeing her cringe every time a gust of wind hits.

There's quiet for the rest of the walk, Ayame not being a nuisance any longer and not asking anymore questions. Instead, she navigates them to the house that she's renting a room in. It's not until they reach the driveway that she lets go of Inuyasha's arm, tugging out a pair of keys from her jacket. Kagome refuses to let go still though so Inuyasha does the nice thing and walks up the stairs to the front door.

"Thanks Inuyasha," Kagome mumbles, turning into him. She lets go just enough so that she can give him a proper hug, and then heads straight into the house. Her eyes are half-closed and she seems tired as all hell. She's definitely crashed from the buzz. "Night."

Ayame is still standing on the front porch. The moment Kagome disappears, the redhead smiles at him. "Thanks for walking us back."

"I didn't have much of a choice," he says and then immediately winces. That's what he meant to say but…not what he meant to say. "But, uh, it was fine. You're welcome?"

"Here." Without warning, Ayame knocks his hand out of his pocket and grabs his cell phone. He's about to make a noise of protest but she just gives him an unimpressed look. "Hold on," she murmurs, typing something in. He can't really see the screen but as she exits out, he sees the box of his contacts disappearing. "You're a good guy," she says, handing it back to him. "Quiet, but I think in this case, that's a good thing."

Inuyasha stares at her, a little scared. He doesn't have any idea what brought this conversation on but he has no idea what she's talking about. "Thanks?" It, too, sounds like a question.

With a final wave, Ayame enters the house and shuts the door.

For a brief moment, his eyes go from the door, to his phone, and then back to the door again. Did Ayame just give him her number?

"What the fuck," he croaks, incredibly confused.

Putting his phone away, he stumbles down the stairs and makes his way home.

* * *

Later, when he looks in his list of phone contacts, he realizes that Ayame didn't put her name in there. He scans through quickly, looking for her name, but doesn't see anything.

What the hell did she do then?

No longer drunk but just plain exhausted, Inuyasha tosses his phone to the side, takes off his clothes and jumps into bed.

Whatever. He'll figure out that particular brand of crazy in the morning.

* * *

 **Next Time on _Tell Me I'm Crazy_ :** He closes his eyes. This can't be happening. Is this the universe trying to tell him to drink less? Is this some higher power demanding that he spend less time hung over and more time present in the moment? Because it sure fucking seems like it. Twice now. _Twice_. Twice he has been confronted with people when he's hung over, dehydrated and praying for death. At least this time he wasn't found sleeping under a tree.

* * *

 **Responses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _EndlessIdeas:_ I hope you've been enjoying so far :D Thanks so much love!

 _Billie 22:_ Wow, thank you so much! I really appreciate it. I hope you like what's in store!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** A certain character that most of you have been asking about will be making an appearance... Next chapter.

 **Feedback, as always, is love.**


	5. Part V

**Author's Note:** I am truly sorry for the delay. I have been bogged down like crazy. There is light at the end of the tunnel however in the next two weeks. By then, I should be a free bird.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part V**

* * *

He doesn't figure it out in the morning. Inuyasha frankly doesn't check his phone at all until the afternoon, when he texts Jinenji about their final exam.

Exams man. They fucking suck.

* * *

Hachi bursts into Inuyasha's room, right when he's trying to actually be a good student and study for his exams _ahead of time_.

"I can't do this," Hachi says, swaying dramatically in the doorway. "The numbers are all blurring."

"I wouldn't want your homework," Inuyasha admits.

The engineering student drops his hand and looks at him, frowning. "Homework? The fuck would I do that for? No, I'm trying to find the money to buy enough alcohol for the party in two weeks." He shakes his head and chuckles. " _Homework_."

Inuyasha's cell phone starts to go off, _Fuck Face_ lighting up the screen.

"You going to get that?" Hachi asks.

He shakes his head.

"Well." Hachi knocks on the doorframe, stares at Inuyasha for a moment longer and then gives a kind of wave. "This got awkward fast. I'll see you later."

The phone stops vibrating. A few seconds later, a text comes in: _Fine then_.

Good fucking riddance, Inuyasha thinks in the moment.

Future-Inuyasha, however, is crying in a corner because _hindsight is a dick, that's why_.

* * *

Exams are, as expected, absolute hell.

Classes end, not with a bang like they did in high school, but with a soft whimper. There was no joy in having your last class because you knew pretty soon you were going to get fucked by the final. Hard. Inuyasha did what he always did around this time. He locked himself in a room with boxes of crackers and cookies he bought from the store. There were cans of Red Bull and tortured, empty bottles of water scattered everywhere.

Studying was like willingly trying to stuff your brain. It was the most tedious of work but there was so much to learn he didn't have time to stop.

And then the final essays. Oh god, the essays.

Inuyasha grabs at the box of chocolate chip cookies and notices that he's already on the last line of them. That's seven cookies left; he knows because he counted three hours ago when he was too bored of learning about–

He can't even think it.

Inuyasha shudders, grabs at the cookies and stuffs one in his mouth.

There has got to be a better way to survive.

* * *

Day Four. 2:06 AM.

The studying is proving to be too much, even for him. He has started to crave other human connection, which is fucking weird and making him twitchy. Or maybe – probably – it's the Red Bull. At odd hours, he can hear his roommates screaming at each other, most likely over video games.

Inuyasha wants to be down there.

He reaches into the cookie box and resolutely does not crack when he remembers he ate them all on Day One.

His resolve is crumbling.

Rather violently, the door to his bedroom swings open and then there's pain at his temple. "Ow!" Inuyasha yelps, touching his head. What in the hell? There's a chocolate bar on the floor. He was attacked by chocolate.

"Get in loser, we're going shopping."

Inuyasha stares at Naraku, who is standing in the doorway eating away at his own bar of deliciousness. "Uh, what?" he asks.

"No, that reference went right over you?" Naraku looks severely disappointed, shaking his head. "Whatever, you suck. We're all going out to get food. Hakkaku's pretty sure he failed his exam so we're getting McDonald's to commiserate."

"McDonald's is the best!" Hachi yells out from somewhere. Then the humming starts. And then the singing. "Celebrate good times, _come on_!"

He looks at the clock. "It's past two in the morning."

Naraku lets out a breath that sounds incredibly impatient. "Otherwise known as the best time to get McDonald's. Holy hell, did you even get out as a child?"

Instead of answering that – because he's not touching that subject with a ten foot pole, thank you _very_ much – he mutters, "To commiserate, huh."

Shrugging, Naraku swallows his chocolate. "You and I may be the only guys here that aren't weird as fuck." He pauses. "But you're still pretty weird."

Right. "Uh huh," Inuyasha says, "because yoga in the living room wearing only boxers is normal."

His roommate narrows his gaze. "Yoga is for everyone."

Yeah, because _yoga_ is the part he thinks is strange. _Jesus_. "My mistake," he replies, getting up and grabbing a sweater. His coat and shit are downstairs.

It appears that Hakkaku's misery is bringing the entire house together. All of them are gathering by the front door in various states of dress. The man himself is actually wearing pyjama bottoms and an oversized hoodie that looks like it could fit two of him in there. Ginta is patting his back consolingly but there's a shit-eating grin on his face.

"The princess finally made it!" Hachi cheers, pointing at Inuyasha. "Come on, it's a twenty minute walk and I can only pump myself up for the cold for so long."

"At least it's just cold and not snowing," Kouga grumbles, sliding a hat on. "I wouldn't be going outside if it was."

"Yeah, yeah, precious," Ginta chirps, "we know you wouldn't want to freeze your golden feet in the cold. How else could you take your team to the finals?"

It's not a statement that hasn't been said before, even if not in so many words. Kouga is constantly teased by everyone in the house for the fact that he's an all-star varsity athlete. Nothing about the chirping is serious; frankly, jealousy may be more of the issue. Kouga is known as one of the best and Inuyasha doesn't even fucking like the guy. If _he_ knows it, then _everyone_ knows it.

But the second Ginta finishes speaking, Kouga's face just shuts down. His small smile from before is completely wiped away and he grabs at the front door to escape immediately. It's odd.

No one else seems to notice though. Hakkaku is soaking up the attention like the narcissistic asshole that he is. So, Inuyasha says nothing.

The seven of them wander into the cold. It's really dark out but the streetlights keep the walkway lit. Before Inuyasha can even complain about the fact he can see his breath, Miroku's arm is around his shoulders and he's being tugged in for a photo on his phone.

"This guy, right here!" Miroku exclaims and then give an exaggerated kiss on his cheek.

Inuyasha rolls his eyes and elbows him. "Get off me, you psycho." He's only hugged far more aggressively for the comment, Miroku's face pressed right up against his.

And then he realizes.

"This is on video?" Inuyasha asks, groaning. "Come on!"

"Memories," his best friend answers, like it's the only thing that matters. "Years from now when we're eighty and doing nothing more than sitting on a couch because we can't even walk, these videos are what's going to keep us alive."

"And you say we're the married ones," Ginta chirps, whacking Miroku on the back of the head and causing the blue-eyed man to yelp.

"Don't worry darling, I'll make sure to get a photo of you and your bae." Miroku sniggers, plays with filters on the phone and then posts the video of the two of them to Snapchat.

Inuyasha can only pray no one he knows can see it.

But it's Snapchat, so there's literally zero hope for that.

"Only two more weeks, my friends," Hachi says. He's not skipping, exactly, but whatever he's doing is _definitely_ not walking. "Two more weeks and then we're free for the holidays."

"And there's the party," Naraku points out. "I've already got some remixes on Christmas music. And not the shit kind."

"It's going to be lit," Hachi agrees.

"I'm just trying to figure out what to even wear since clothes are out," Hakkaku says.

The golden arches are now in view. Inuyasha's pretty sure he can't feel his fingers any longer.

Hachi makes a strange _eh_ sound, flailing a bit. "Don't worry about it. Guys, I've got it taken care of for us. Promise."

"All of us?" Kouga asks, somewhat skeptically.

"All of us."

Miroku jumps onto Hachi's back, ever the tactile one. "Aw, always looking out for us!"

"It's my last year, so obviously," the engineer replies. "Starting in the new year we're going to have to take applications for Corner House."

"Ugh, not again," Naraku grumbles. "There are hundreds of them."

"Tradition."

" _Annoying_."

Hachi shrugs. "At least it's only two positions."

Inuyasha ignores most of the chatter but nudges into Miroku, forcing him onto the grass. "Don't you have an exam tomorrow?"

"Nah, day after, same as you. I don't feel ready yet but I've been studying for what feels like forever." Miroku whips out his phone and then grins, opening an app. He shows the screen to Inuyasha, who squints at it because the backlight is horribly bright compared to the darkness of the night. "Check them out."

"What?" Inuyasha sees a chat message with a photo and he's pretty sure it's Snapchat. He wasn't even aware you could chat…like, normally.

Sighing exasperatedly, Miroku passes him the phone and then taps at the image. It gets larger and oh, there's Sango and Kagome grinning at the camera. " _This girl right here!"_ Sango exclaims, giving Kagome an exaggerated kiss on the cheek.

" _Get off me, you pyscho!"_ Kagome shoves at Sango but instead of taking it, she ends up sprawling. The video blurs as Sango falls over and there's a large amount of laughing. " _Watch the wine!"_

" _Save the wine!_ "

" _All the_ –" The video cuts off then to Sango's smiling face, lips partly open in speech.

"I think she's drunk." Miroku grins and then steals his phone back. He types out a message that Inuyasha doesn't read, although a part of him really wants to know what he's saying. What do you say to that? It was a video about nothing at all. Slight mockery, if anything.

He finds, though he can't attest because he himself has never done it, that couples find something to share no matter what.

McDonald's is incredibly warm in comparison to outside. The seven of them rush inside, the place only filled with a few tired staff members and a couple sitting in a corner eating burgers. A girl with short black hair takes their orders and smiles exactly once when Kouga thanks her. The soccer star barely spares her a glance afterwards though, slinging his arm around Hakkaku who still looks pretty miserable.

"It couldn't have been that bad," Miroku says, trying to cheer him up. "Classes like that live on a bell curve. I'm sure the marks will be boosted. You'll pass."

"Oh great, relying on a bell curve to pass." Hakkaku rolls his eyes. " _Thanks_."

"Chill, I'm buying you a milkshake. You know, to celebrate you passing." Miroku rolls his eyes too and places his order, the last out of their group. The rest of them start to take their food as it arrives and set up at a booth near the back. Inuyasha waits with Miroku, ignores Ginta's chirping about them being an old married couple. The wait for the milkshake takes forever but it's McDonald's and it's their milkshakes. One just learns to live with it.

"How's studying going?" Miroku asks. "You've locked yourself in your room pretty well."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "It's the fucking worst. I think tomorrow I'm going to go to the library. Apparently it's helpful and conducive to studying."

" _No_ ," Miroku exclaims. "You? The library?" The milkshake is finally ready so both of them grab their stuff and head towards their table. "How did you even learn of its existence?"

"Fuck off," he replies, without any heat. "I knew we had a library."

"We have multiple libraries." Miroku gives him an unimpressed glance and then unceremoniously hands Hakkaku his drink. "Here you go, buttercup. Enjoy it."

The table is meant to sit six people at most – some of those six were probably meant to be small children – but somehow the seven of them squish. They probably looked rather ridiculous considering the place was entirely empty save one other table.

"You're a dick," Hakkaku states after a long draw of his milkshake. "But I accept your offering."

"Yeah, Miroku's milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard." Ginta winks and then sticks a brand new straw in Hakkaku's cup to drink from it too.

"Not any more, he's a taken man!" Hachi exclaims. "Look at him. You can practically see the hearts in his eyes."

Groaning, his best friend shakes his head. "Fuck off. I do not."

"Do too," Kouga cuts in. "I saw you smiling all dopey at that video she sent you."

Ginta shoves at Kouga's shoulder. "Like you were any better the other week. _Huge_ hypocrite."

"We can't all be married like you and Hakkaku," the soccer star replies, rolling his eyes. "Have you picked out the venue yet? Miroku already came up with your wedding day hashtag."

Inuyasha nods. It's sadly true.

"Fuck _all_ of you, we're not together," Ginta mumbles. Sullen, he takes another sip of Hakkaku's milkshake.

Inuyasha raises a brow and points at him. "Yeah. You're really selling it to us. Congratu-fucking-lations."

Hakkaku swipes his drink back and specifically throws out Ginta's straw. "Trust us, we're not attracted to each other."

"Which means you've at least tested to see," Hachi states, leaning back in his chair. "That's fair. I mean, if everyone was going on and on about how I was supposedly married to my friend, I'd have to give it a _shot_."

Ginta sighs. "Well we've got Miroku and Kouga all happy and shit. Hachi is too busy to ever get anything more than his right-hand. Hakkaku and I are single – _thanks_. Inuyasha, funny how you've entirely missed out on this conversation."

Oh no. He looks around the table to see the rest of his roommates staring back at him. _Shit_.

"It is funny," Miroku murmurs. "Isn't it?"

Naraku grins massively. "So, how's the search for love?"

"Love, really?" Inuyasha complains. He jerks a thumb at Miroku. "This fuckwit I get." He very specifically does not look at Kouga because he doesn't think about that. "He's stupid enough to fall head over heels in a couple of days. The rest of us should be smarter."

"See? I told you," Miroku states, leaning heavily on the table. Inuyasha's not entirely sure if he's talking to the group as a whole or just one person. He's kind of eyeing both Naraku and Hakkaku. "You have to be a lot more specific with him. _Names_ , for one."

And that's just not acceptable. Inuyasha refuses to partake in this conversation any longer. The second Naraku opens his mouth, he lines up and pelts a fry at his face.

"The hell?" Naraku asks.

Hakkaku starts to speak. "How's it–" Inuyasha fires a fry at Hakkaku, getting him square in the eyes. He throws another at Naraku because he, too, is a fuckwit. He leans over the table and steals some fries from them as payment.

"These are _salty_ ," Hakkaku whines, rubbing at his eyes. "That shit hurts. You're supposed to make me feel better, asshole."

"Aw princess," Kouga cooes. "Are you sad you were the victim of a single fry?"

Conversation eventually turns into nothing more than light insults being thrown, one after the other. Inuyasha leans back against the booth and enjoys another bite of his burger, happy to let his roommates deal with each other. Frankly, he's just here for the food.

"You never cease to amaze," Miroku says suddenly, nudging him slightly and grinning. "How the hell do you always get out of interrogations?"

Snorting – because _that_ was an interrogation? – Inuyasha simply shakes his head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

" _Sure_." But then Miroku's hit with a fry too. Hachi has gotten in on it and is pelting at will.

He could be doing a whole lot more at three in the morning, studying being a big one. But his roommates are all assholes and the McDonald's employees are giving them dirty looks because more likely than not, they're going to leave the floor around them a disaster.

Inuyasha takes another big bite of his burger and relaxes. Doesn't think about studying. Doesn't think about the fact his phone hasn't rang in a while, no _Fuck Face_ lighting up the screen. Doesn't think about how he's going to cope at the library, or the fact that he needs to go grocery shopping, or that he actually hasn't gotten laid in a while.

He doesn't think about how he would have answered Naraku's ridiculous question, or how he would have answered a more specific question from Hakkaku.

He doesn't think about much at all.

* * *

His last exam is on a Tuesday.

They say that history will always repeat itself. He doesn't go on an adventure with Kouga but Inuyasha does drink an absurd amount with Miroku.

The two of them are found sleeping under the kitchen table the next morning.

He closes his eyes. This can't be happening. Is this the universe trying to tell him to drink less? Is this some higher power demanding that he spend less time hung over and more time present in the moment? Because it sure fucking seems like it. Twice now. _Twice._ Twice he has been confronted with people when he's hung over, dehydrated and praying for death. At least this time he wasn't found sleeping under a tree.

A table, though, is not much better.

"That's what I'm looking for," Hachi says. "That's what I want at the party this Friday."

Inuyasha flips him off and then debates getting up. Even the thought of his body moving makes him want to puke, so instead he closes his eyes and slows down his breathing.

Tuesday drinking has him _full_ of regrets.

* * *

Oh sweet baby Jesus. He's never drinking again.

* * *

Well.

Except Friday.

* * *

"Absolutely not."

"I already bought them. This is what we're doing."

"I refuse."

"Nut up or shut up."

"Fuck you, Ginta."

"We could get dangerously close with outfits like these."

Miroku pokes at the stuffed animal shaped like a duck. "Are we sure this is big enough?"

"Yeah right," Kouga chides, "as if you're packing that much heat."

The men of Corner House look down at the collection of stuffed animals that Hachi had dumped in a pile on the kitchen table. Besides Miroku, they were all a little afraid to reach out.

"So… We wear boxers under these, right?" Inuyasha asks, because he has to. There is no way he's putting that on without any extra security.

Hachi snorts. "Well yeah. It just can't be visible given it's an anything-but-clothes party. But we don't need the Incident of 2011 to happen again. If you read the comments on those Facebook photos man, it's devastating."

"Tell me you have safety pins," Hakkaku states. He reaches out, as if to touch, but holds back at the last second.

"Five packs," their industrious leader confirms.

Finally, Naraku grabs at one of the stuffed animals. "I call dibs on the frog, bitches."

* * *

The rules of an ABC (anything but clothes) party are simple. You can't wear real clothes, but anything else counts. That means girls are entering with ducktape dresses that barely cover their butts and guys are toting flags as loosely secured skirts. All-in-all, it's a bit of a shitshow. _But it's fucking great_.

Anyone who is wearing clothes has to have solo cups ducktaped to their hands so they're permanently double-fisting the evening. On top of that, anyone at any time can put alcohol in their drink. That means a vodka and soda can be mixed with rum and some fruity concoction if a friend feels evil enough. And you can't dump the contents of the cup. That's the most important rule.

No one has failed so far.

Kouga had a bunch of teammates from his soccer team come and help out at the door when the party was supposed to start. It gave the boys of Corner House some time to prepare.

"Ow, _motherfucker_ , that was my ass!" Ginta yells, smacking at Hakkaku viciously. "The safety pin is supposed to attach to my boxers, dipshit."

"If you did it properly like everyone else, this wouldn't be happening," he snaps back. "What made you think safety pinning this shit on _after_ made any sense?"

To be fair, Inuyasha admits, Ginta's been drunk for most of the afternoon. He finished his last exam that morning. It was commercial law or something else as equally awful.

"Are we all ready?" Kouga asks, entering Hachi's room in the basement. "The guys are getting pretty shitfaced so I don't know how much longer they'll hold everything down."

"Yeah, we're good," Hakkaku mutters. He flicks at Ginta. "This idiot is finally ready."

"Fuck you."

Inuyasha stares down at himself and then looks at the t-shirt he's at least still wearing. "Do we have to do this?" Because in all honesty, a part of him wants to die. This is a bad idea. A really bad idea.

How did Hachi get them all to do this again?

"Ready boys?" Naraku asks. "Because my set needs to start soon. And I need to tell my friend to start our walk-in song."

This is going to potentially be the most mortifying night of his life.

Naraku texts his friend and then they all practically wait in a line up the stairs to the main level. There's only a door separating them from the party, a throng of voices already bouncing off the walls. The music that's on is pretty low but the people have to know something is up. Parties never start without a bang. Corner House is too good for that.

The first strains of _Pony_ start to play, the bass reverberating, making the door shake. Naraku's friend obviously turned up the sound too. Hachi opens the door and there are suddenly _screams_. While most would think the screams would be in horror, they would be mistaken. They're being _encouraged_.

Inuyasha takes a deep breath, tosses off his t-shirt and then steps into the main room of Corner House. He joins his brothers on the stage, the seven of them wearing nothing more than stuffed animals attached to tiny towels, wrapped delicately around their butts. The stuffed animals are perfectly in place to cover their dicks.

His stuffed animal is a white unicorn with a golden horn.

Yeah.

…Yeah.

The crowd loves it though and before he knows it, there are three trays of shots for them to down. Inuyasha suspects Kouga's soccer team but he doesn't question it, just downs the alcohol. Shot after shot after shot.

"Oh my god, I can't believe that's what you're wearing!" Sango yells, suddenly there and dragging them off the stage. She's wearing a tube top and mini-skirt, made entirely out of "DO NOT CROSS" police tape. Of course, Miroku instantly pokes at her chest. "Hey!" she yells, smacking at him. "I wore this for _you_."

"I think you mean _because of_ him," Inuyasha points out.

Sango turns her magenta eyes on him and grins. "Nice horn."

"HEY!" Miroku cries out, clearly in distress. "You didn't ask me about my trunk!"

Naraku starts to get the crowd riled up on the microphone, the music getting louder and louder until the walls are shaking and bodies are moving. The Ginuwine song is morphing, the beats turning sharper and faster until all of a sudden the beat drops and fucking _Deck the Halls_ starts blasting through the speakers.

Inuyasha stares up at Naraku is shock. Maybe it's awe. Frankly, he doesn't even know.

Miroku wipes at a fake tear. "It's almost too much to bear."

"Let's get fucking drunk," Sango says, grabbing them both by the wrist and dragging them to the kitchen where the kegs are. They get their drinks and head back towards the living room where everyone is nothing more than a writhing mass of grinding bodies. With three shots in his system and a beer that he downs in mere minutes, Inuyasha's feeling pretty decent pretty quickly.

He wouldn't go as far as drunk, per se, but…

It doesn't take long to get there.

He's got another drink in hand – number three? – when a girl plasters herself up against him and smiles. "Hi Inuyasha!"

He looks down at her, thinking as quickly as he can. She _looks_ familiar but he can't place where. From a previous party?

She takes a step back and Inuyasha gets to look at what she's wearing. It's some sort of weird plastic thing that he's not even going to try to figure out but it's one piece and cuts off like shorts. It's that last bit that helps him remember. _Homecoming_. The girl in the shorts. _Right_.

"Hi," he replies, pretty belatedly. Oh well, he's fucking drunk. Shit is not going to come out quickly no matter how hard he tries. She stares at him, as if waiting. Does she want him to say her name? "Hi…you?"

The girl just giggles though and then plasters back up against him. It's really weird because he's barely wearing anything and her outfit almost hurts. "How _you_ doing?" she asks, poking his face.

"You're really smashed." He didn't mean to say that.

Oh well.

"No!" she replies, looking wounded. "No, I'm not!" She stamps her foot and almost falls over in the process. Inuyasha reaches out to steady her, grabbing her arm. "I'm _fine_ ," she insists.

He sighs. He really doesn't fucking care and while drunk, he's not _drunk enough_ for this. Inuyasha's about to say as much so it's probably a goddamn miracle that the girl turns her head suddenly and waves at someone over his shoulder. She's smiling at them and then in an instant turns the charm back his way. "Hopefully I'll see you later?" she asks.

"Sure." If she's this drunk now, more than likely someone is going to take her home to sober up first.

Inuyasha goes back to his friends. Kouga is around, being the best as per usual and completely unself-conscious in his towel and duck outfit. He sees him looking and passes him another beer. It's fucking great. It's like they can read each other's _minds_. To make things even better, Miroku and Sango are dancing to _Jingle Bells_ in a ridiculous, non-sexy fashion. Watching Miroku flail his hands around and hip thrust erratically to the thick, pounding bass makes it all quite entertaining. He's swallowed up by the crowd, listening to DJ Naraku-The-Fucking-Best remix Christmas music with top 40s and classic rock. There's no limit to his magic. Absolutely _none_.

They all somehow end up migrating towards the stage where Naraku is bouncing up and down, the frog that's acting as his "clothes" doing a hilarious impersonation. Inuyasha is an untellable number of drinks in, more drunk than he's been all night and loving every second of it. He's dancing with some girl, more because they're in the same nearby space than because of any other reason. Kouga's dancing with that redhead – Ayame, the one who didn't give him her number – and Inuyasha barely spares a second to think that Kagome may not like how close they are before moving on to the next fleeting thought.

There's a tap on his shoulder and Inuyasha turns around, the girl in front of him shimmying away. Standing behind him is a guy, around the same height with dark eyes and short black hair. He's not particularly attractive and Inuyasha's pretty sure he doesn't know him.

Pretty sure. Not entirely. He's bad at people. _With_ people. Whatever.

"You Inuyasha?" the guy asks and _woo-boy_ , someone has a deep voice.

Inuyasha is so drunk that his thoughts are little slow, eyes a little too unseeing. He smirks and nods, "Yeah," completely ignoring the fact that the guy has his hands in fists. He has no idea how or why but all of a sudden, the guy is punching him on the left side of his jaw. He's stumbling backwards hard, hitting the stage and tripping over it so that he's pressed against the wall and nearly tumbling to the ground.

 _Jesus Christ_. Pain flashes through him hot and bright. _What the fuckity fucking fuck?_ Blearily, he opens his eyes just in time to see the guy move towards him, jerky and angry. His arm is raised so Inuyasha twists his body, throwing off the guy's punch and taking advantage to hit him back square in the middle of his stupidly ugly face. To be honest, he's lucky. Things are spinning so badly Inuyasha is going to be hard-pressed to hit him again. The guy jolts back but not far enough to protect him from another hit. It's dark and he can barely see even with the strobe lights, for fuck's sake–

Then out of what seems like nowhere, Kouga appears. He drags the attacker back, spins him and punches him hard in the gut.

Best fucking friends. They are best friends for _life._ Kouga looks _vicious_ in that duck-towel thing. Like Tarzan. Freaking Tarzan, man.

"Here we go." And there's Miroku's hands pulling at him, tugging him forward and away from the wall. He asks something else but Inuyasha is too focused on Kouga screaming at his attacker to notice. There are a lot of bad words in there and it looks like the athlete is going to hit him again when Hachi steps in, pushing them both back.

"Get him the fuck out of here," Hachi yells, jerking his head at some guys behind the asshole that hit him. "Don't fucking come back. And if he vomits so help me I will destroy you."

"Come on," Miroku urges, pushing at him. "Kitchen, now. Let's get you some ice."

"Fuck that," Inuyasha snaps. "I want to know why the fuck he hit me!" The moment the question leaves his mouth, it becomes a burning sensation throughout his entire body. He's _pissed_. He's so angry that he's nearly shaking with it. Inuyasha's never seen this guy in his life; what the flying fuck could he have done?

Kouga's in front of him now, helping Miroku direct him to the kitchen. There's less of a crowd in there but it's still busy. Miroku grabs him some ice to put in a sealable bag while Kouga looks at his face. "Does it hurt?"

"Not at the moment; probably will when I'm less pissed off and more sober," Inuyasha nearly growls. When Hachi enters the kitchen, he practically leaps forward into the engineer's face. "What the fuck was that?"

"I don't know, calm your shit down," Hachi snaps right back, giving as good as he received. "The asshole is gone. Take the damn ice."

He's been so focused on Hachi that he's completely ignored Miroku trying to give him the makeshift ice pack. Sighing but still feeling overwhelmingly like he needs to violently hit something, Inuyasha leans against the counter and puts the ice on his face. "What a dick."

"You have any idea what that was about?" Miroku asks, raising a brow.

"No, no goddamn clue. I don't even know that fucking bastard."

"Well he knows you," Hachi mumbles.

Inuyasha glares at him. No fucking shit.

"Hey! Hey, are you okay?" And that's Sango pressing into their space, standing in front of Inuyasha. She looks concerned, her magenta eyes looking over his face at what will soon probably be a spectacular bruise. Fucking majestic.

"I'm fine," Inuyasha mutters darkly.

"You started quite the shitshow," she replies.

That pisses him off, if possible even more than before. "Me? Me?! _I started it_? Are you fucking high?"

"Don't talk to her like that," Miroku says sharply, shoving at his shoulder lightly.

"Fuck you," he spits. "You're not the one that just got sucker punched for no goddamn reason at your own party."

"So you didn't sleep with Asuna?"

The voice makes him stop dead. He's mad but it's simmering, waiting under the surface until the boiling point. Inuyasha shifts his gaze from Sango to Kagome, wearing a matching outfit to her roommate's. He wishes he could focus more on that than her words. Where the hell did she even come from?

" _Who_?" he asks, practically biting out the word.

Sango looks exasperated at his response. "Asuna. Brown hair, long. She's about my height."

"This girl," Kagome interjects, shoving her phone in his face. There's an Instagram picture up and the moment he sees it, the name finally clicks.

" _Her_?" he demands. "You think I slept with her?" Even though the question is directed at both of them, it's Kagome he's staring at. She's got a look in her dark eyes that he doesn't like, something that's part challenge and part concern. Inuyasha doesn't know what to do with it. He rather it be gone altogether.

"That's what's going around," Kagome says, looking at him intently. "The guy you fought? Her boyfriend."

"Is this a fucking joke?" he demands, anger spilling out all over again. The alcohol flooding through his system is only making it harder to keep his mouth shut. "No, I didn't sleep with her. What the fuck?"

Miroku puts a hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him calm. Inuyasha does not appreciate it in the slightest. "Where did you hear that?" he asks Kagome.

"Friends. They were there when Asuna told her boyfriend to fuck off and leave her alone. Apparently she didn't need him when Inuyasha was giving it to her good anyways." She holds up her hands, probably feeling the full weight of his glare. "Her words, not mine."

"Do you know her?" Kouga asks.

Inuyasha sighs explosively. "Not really. We made out months ago. Like in October. I sure as hell didn't have sex with her. I saw her earlier but she was drunk as hell and falling everywhere. I didn't touch her." He hates this. He hates explaining. He shouldn't have to say anything when clearly she's psychotic and just trying to get back at her boyfriend. Jesus Christ, what a bitch. Did she even _think_?

"Holy shit, what happened?" Ginta pops his head into the crowd, looking at Inuyasha with big eyes. "Did you get in a fight?"

Ugh. This is already getting old.

"A bit of a misunderstanding," Miroku says, lightly punching him in the shoulder and grinning so that Inuyasha takes it as a joke. It's not funny but at least he doesn't rip his best friend's head off. "But Inuyasha didn't sleep with any girlfriends and all of us need to get back to drinking."

Where there's one, there's another. Hakkaku suddenly bursts in and Inuyasha zeros in on his beer. Without hesitating, he grabs at it and takes a long swallow. His jaw hurts a bit. Son of a _bitch_.

"Come on, let's go back out on the floor," Sango urges. She nudges his foot with her heels, trying to make him look at her. He reluctantly does – staring at the floor is a lot more fun – and realizes that she's only trying to make him feel better. It hits him again that he hopes like hell Sango sticks around. He's fond of her for reasons he isn't prepared to understand yet. Maybe Miroku was on to something with the whole 'serious dating' thing.

"Yeah," he grumbles, taking another swig of Hakkaku's beer. He obviously feels bad because his roommate doesn't even say anything.

There's a hand on his wrist. Inuyasha looks down and then slowly back up, gaze landing on Kagome's face. She's giving him a tiny smile. "How about this? I promise to stay with you all night and make sure no big bad guys come after you. Does that work?"

Had it been anyone else, Inuyasha probably would have felt mocked. He sure as fuck didn't need someone to protect him. He's fought enough times in his childhood to know how to block a punch or land a hit. It was just better if the environment wasn't the complete darkness and he wasn't drunk on shots and beer.

"Deal?" Kagome presses.

Sighing dramatically, Inuyasha nods. "Fine."

"I'll protect you," she repeats. She's tugging on his wrist lightly, trying to lead him away from the kitchen to follow their friends. In all of his staring, Inuyasha realizes that his roommates have already mostly left.

"My hero," he drawls.

And there, out of the darkness comes her goddamn smile. It's so fucking bright, like the sun or some equally romantic shit. He'd probably do almost anything for it.

Kouga's not around. He's with the redhead instead.

Maybe there's something Inuyasha doesn't know. In this moment, it sure feels like it.

Ignoring those thoughts for the time-being, he pushes off from the counter and lets the brown-eyed girl lead the way back onto the dancefloor.

He's going to drink some more – _a lot more_. He's going to dance some more. He's going to stay by Kagome's side.

The night has just begun.

* * *

Oh god, not again.

Inuyasha doesn't even have to open his eyes or try to move. The nausea is overwhelming which is a very, very bad sign. He thinks about how far away the bathroom is and then wonders if there's anyone else in there. If he moves, it's more or less a done deal.

If he doesn't move, his body may just make the choice for him anyways.

Vaguely shaky, Inuyasha slides from his bed and makes a beeline for the bathroom. The door is open – thank god – and he completely ignores Ginta's prone form on the ground by the bathtub so he can throw up in the toilet. _Holy fuck_ , he thinks somewhat desperately, trying to keep his hair out of the way. Why the fuck does he keep it so long anyways? Right. Laziness.

It goes on for far longer than he wants. It fucking sucks, honestly. The only thing that's keeping Inuyasha going is the thought that he's going to feel a lot better once it's over and done with. He hasn't thrown up in ages. What the fuck did he _do_ last night?

Spitting into the toilet, letting his body settle, Inuyasha debates lying down beside Ginta. He's pretty sure his roommate must have been throwing up sometime during the night. _Shit._ He looks over at Ginta. Was he okay? He didn't even wake up when Inuyasha started making all that noise. Hesitant, but feeling a bit better with every move, Inuyasha flushes the toilet and then pokes Ginta a couple of times in the face.

"G'way _,"_ Ginta mumbles. Somehow, the guy manages to give him the middle finger.

Well. He can't be that close to death then.

Turning on the tap, Inuyasha splashes cold water on his face and then brushes his teeth. He notices the dark bruise on his jaw but ignores the twinges of pain as he opens his mouth. He's still shaky and oh god, he desperately needs a bottle of water that he can sip on over the next couple of hours. This seems like a day for binge watching television and doing nothing else. He hopes distantly that Miroku hasn't finished those crackers he bought the other week. The thought of food revolts him now but in a couple hours, the crackers are going to be fucking delicious.

Slowly – oh dear fuck, so slowly – Inuyasha makes it down the stairs. He notices pretty quickly that there are hushed voices in the living room. Probably some assholes who are still drunk and never left. Hachi only tolerates sleepers at their house if they get the fuck out the moment they wake up the next morning. Corner House is not a bed and breakfast.

"No, man, you came on the wrong morning." And that's Miroku. "Just give me a couple minutes and I'll go get him."

Trepidation starts to fill him because even though he has no proof, Inuyasha's pretty sure his best friend is talking about him. Ignoring the water, if only for another couple minutes until this is solved, Inuyasha enters the living room and sees Miroku, Hachi and Kouga standing at the door in various states of underdress.

"Hello Inuyasha. So glad you could finally join us," comes the sardonic, dead-inside voice he's hasn't heard in over a year.

"Oh, hello Fuck Face," Inuyasha says, disturbingly nonchalant even to his own ears. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Hachi, still probably a bit drunk and wearing only his boxers, waves a hand between them. He looks fascinated. "Hold up. Wait a minute. Time out. I've known you for _how long_ and I didn't know you had a brother? He says he's your brother! Is he your brother?"

"Step-brother," Inuyasha corrects automatically. "Guys, meet Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru, go fuck yourself. I'm going back to bed."

And so he turns around, ignores the looks on his friends' faces and grabs a water bottle from the cupboard.

He's so not fucking dealing with this crazy-ass shit. Jesus fucking Christ. _Motherfucker_.

* * *

 **Next Time on _Tell Me I'm Crazy:_** Inuyasha feels his jaw tightening with every inch of the door opening. The noises come to him first: the beeping, the rattling of breath. The lights are on but incredibly dim, yet nothing could stop him from seeing the man lying on the mattress. "Dad?"

* * *

 **Responses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _bando:_ YES IT IS!

 _wakiia:_ Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too!

 _Brooke:_ Well I am so happy to be back. Thanks so much darling! It means a lot that you're enjoying this. Hope the chapter is up to snuff!

 _Billie11:_ Thank you dear :) You're too kind.

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** Every time I wrote Inuyasha partying in this story, I was inspired by two lines from the song _Closer_ by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey: _Hey, I was doing just fine before I met you. I drink too much and that's an issue but I'm okay. Hey, you tell your friends it was nice to meet them but I hope I never see them again._ Only that part though. The rest of the song is completely irrelevant. There will be no mattress stealing here.

 **Feedback is love.**


	6. Part VI

**Author's Note:** You know how in every romantic-comedy there's always that part that's depressingly sad because they need you at your lowest so you can truly feel all the happiness and love that comes after?

THIS IS THAT CHAPTER.

 **Trigger Warning: Minor character death and the aftermath that proceeds it. Message me if you would first like details.**

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part VI**

* * *

Inuyasha had been a little boy in a big house.

It's stupid to whine about it, so he doesn't. Absolutely not. Look, the fact of the matter is that his dad was a workaholic who spent more time at the office than at home. It was a big home too but normally, it was the caretaker inside running things than his own father.

He loves his dad. He does.

But he was never around. Never around to play with and only occasionally to talk to. Never around to sign him up for extra-curricular activities or to take them places for the sake of fun. He's not a bad guy.

It's not his dad's fault that he thought Sesshomaru would be enough, that he thought his half-brother wasn't actually the largest dick to ever grace the earth and who would play with him, have fun with him, _teach_ him. Be a fucking brother.

He was very wrong. But.

Inuyasha doesn't whine about it. He doesn't talk about it at all except for that one really drunk time almost three years ago.

It's not even a question as to why he's a social nightmare. He doesn't need a shrink to tell him the obvious.

* * *

"What a child– _Inuyasha,_ " Sesshomaru calls out, his annoying voice bouncing down the hallway.

"You evidently didn't give him any warning so why don't you just come back later?" Miroku states. His voice is softer and harder to hear, but it is quickly interrupted by his half-brother's haughty scoff.

"It would be wise for you to get out of my way. You have no comprehension–"

And that… _That's it_.

Inuyasha takes a deep breath and then turns, storming back down the stairs he was half-way up and bursting back into the front room. "You have a lot of fucking nerve coming here."

Sesshomaru looks every inch like the asshole he left behind in the big empty house with the too-long driveway. His long hair is black and straight, eyes a honeyed shade of brown. He looks like a douchebag with his properly fitted jeans and cashmere sweater. Considering Corner House just finished having a party, Inuyasha hopes that his stupid leather shoes get sticky and gross from all the spilled alcohol on the floor.

His half-brother, as always, stares down his nose at him. "I'm sorry, who is paying for your schooling?"

"Fuck off and get the fuck out," he snarls back, unable to control his temper. The water bottle creaks in his hands from the grip he has on it. "I made it clear I didn't want to talk to you." He watches out of the corner of his eye Miroku pushing both Kouga and Hachi from the room and into the kitchen. It's probably better if they didn't have an audience. Only then will Sesshomaru's ugly side show and Inuyasha loves nothing more than dragging him down to his level.

Sesshomaru sighs, exasperated surely by what he considers Inuyasha's worst qualities. "If I had a choice, I wouldn't be in this hell hole. Yet, I'm here. If you had answered my phone calls this could have been avoided."

"Why didn't you text me whatever was so goddamn urgent?"

His half-brother's jaw tightens, the gears in his head turning. Inuyasha knows that he's Sesshomaru's worst nightmare to deal with. There are certain standards he has to live up to. Sesshomaru seems to compose himself, jaw loosening and eyes unguarded. "Father is sick."

Unable to stop himself, Inuyasha laughs. He's pretty sure he hears Hachi squeak in the kitchen because if there's one thing Inuyasha doesn't do, it's laugh. But this is fucking gold. This is _too funny_. His laugh turns bitter and harsh by the end and he's glaring at his half-brother, unmoving. "Right. Well, I'm sorry to break the news to you but Dad's been sick for years. _Years_. This isn't news. In fact, this was news when I was maybe ten years-old and yet the man still went to work every day in his damn suit for at least fourteen hours. _Sick_ is a relative term with our father. You know it. I know it."

Sesshomaru takes a step forward and instead of the disdainful look he normally wears, this one is completely blank. He looks down at his little half-brother and sighs deeply. "No. He's worsened, Inuyasha. He's dying."

This is the part in movies or television shows where the main character crumbles, or turns soft, or _feels something_. Inuyasha can't really feel anything at all. He stares back at his brother just as impassively. The two of them would make a shrink's dream come true, what with all of their shit to sort out. Inuyasha knows that Sesshomaru wouldn't come here willingly and if his half-brother would rather speak over the phone or talk in person than send a text message… "How long?"

"A week, maybe." Sesshomaru looks towards the door, wanting to escape the conversation or the smell of stale beer. Either one would do it. "I think it'll be less but he's stubborn."

Inuyasha can't help but snort. "Tell me something I don't know. So what, you came all this way to tell me?"

"To take you home," Sesshomaru says evenly. "Don't play stupid."

"Hmm, _home_. Funny you say that," Inuyasha snaps, "because last time we had an actual conversation I very clearly remember you telling me I don't have one. And what happened? Oh right. Dad had to come to me and clean up your mess. Tell me that you were sorry but too proud to admit it." Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "Fuck you. I'll get my own ride."

For a second, it looks like Sesshomaru is going to walk out. Corner House would be better for it, the douchebag level dropping considerably at his half-brother's disappearance. The only problem is that he stops himself, pausing after a single step and looking up at the ceiling as if it will give him any answers. "No," he responds finally. "No, you need to come home now. You can't waste time trying to find a ride. Father doesn't have much longer."

Inuyasha's pretty sure it hasn't hit him yet. The concept of his dad dying is up there with the thought that the earth is flat. When he and Sesshomaru were younger, they were set down by the caretaker and their father, who explained simply that his father had cancer, but was going for treatment. He would be okay.

At the time, he's pretty sure he cried. But the next day, when his father got dressed in his suit and left for work, only to come back about thirty minutes before Inuyasha went to bed… Life just sort of went on. There were no updates on treatment and frankly, Inuyasha's pretty sure the whole reason his dad stopped coming home before he went to sleep was to avoid seeing the consequences. He's seen what chemotherapy can do.

Eventually, Inuyasha stopped looking. His father must have gone into remission because he was never kept at a hospital longer than a day and they never discussed it again.

Apparently not.

Sesshomaru's still staring at the ceiling and it pisses Inuyasha off. He's feeling…off about this. He doesn't know what to feel. The last time he saw his dad was for two weeks during the summer and the man was still working. He looked older but fine.

He was fine.

"Give me time to pack. I'm hung over as fuck so if I puke in your car, I'm not paying for it." With that, Inuyasha turns on his heel and goes straight back up to his room.

He counts the seconds after he closes his bedroom door. It shouldn't take long. It usually doesn't. There's a knock and before Inuyasha can say anything the door is opening and Miroku is standing there, looking at him with those big blue eyes. "Don't," he says, holding up his hand.

Miroku's lips tighten but he just shrugs. "Need help?"

"No, there's not much to pack. I have a bunch of shit there anyways," he grumbles, tossing in pairs of boxer briefs and socks and some of his favourite t-shirts. He doesn't fold a single thing because that shit is useless. "When are you heading home?"

"In a couple days," Miroku replies. He lets out an exaggerated breath and then collapses on his bed. "You're going to miss me."

"Says the guy who's breathing in my sheets like some crazy person."

Miroku grins. "You mean like some side chick trying to be the real deal?"

"Stop talking."

"Because I can be your side chick."

Inuyasha closes his eyes.

"I mean, Sango doesn't have to know."

"You already told me you wouldn't kiss me, so how would that even work? My god, you're blowing this whole thing way out of proportion." Inuyasha shoves in another bunch of clothes and then stops to look at his best friend. "Stop it."

"Ah, but you brought up the kissing thing first," Miroku coos, pointing a finger at him. "Don't worry baby. You may not be my first choice but as a side chick, I'm not interested in forever." He sits up and punches him on the arm.

"I'm out of your league," Inuyasha murmurs, rubbing at the sore spot. He's not pouting but he's not exactly happy either. Miroku knows this; it's clear in the way his best friend is looking at him. He's the only one that gets the whole family thing. Kind of.

Inuyasha doesn't remember much about how he described it because both of them were really, really drunk. Something about banana vodka being not as bad because of potassium. Whatever. It was all a lie anyways.

"How long are you going to stay?" Miroku asks then, breaking the silence.

He shrugs, not really sure. "Depends on what happens, I guess. If they say he's got a week…" He trails off, unsure of how to continue. Inuyasha is positive that he's supposed to be freaking out right now, or at least getting upset. Angry. _Something_. But nothing comes. He leaves his bedroom and heads for the bathroom, knowing his best friend will follow behind.

"And you'll stay for Christmas."

"Probably?" Again, Inuyasha shrugs. He opens up the cupboards in the bathroom and starts to pull out all of his toiletries. Toothbrush, toothpaste, hair brush, deodorant– Where the hell did his cologne go? Did Naraku fucking take it again?

"Well, if you want, you can come to my place anytime," Miroku offers. "I know it's a bit far away from your house but we've got a spare bedroom. I'm not heading back until just before New Year's."

The offer isn't unexpected but it's so sincere, Inuyasha has to shake his head. "Your family hates me."

"They just don't like people who don't talk. We're a loud, outgoing family. You're like the enigma they can't crack. You didn't even laugh at my dad's jokes!" Miroku cries, backing up so they can both leave the room. "And he worked on them for a while."

"They were terrible."

"And here's yet another example of your shining social skills." Miroku slow claps, just for the effect.

Unable to stop himself, Inuyasha smirks. He tosses his stuff into his bag and zips it up. He's not going to look at his best friend. He's not going to give himself away. Rather suddenly, Inuyasha realizes that he's being enveloped into a hug from behind. It's a bit strange but he only flinches briefly at the contact before sighing, put out. "Really?"

"Enjoy it. You love it." Miroku hugs tighter. "You better text me every day, you emotionally constipated rock of a human being. I need to know you're okay."

"I'll be fine."

Huffing, the blue-eyed man finally lets go. "But I won't be fine if you don't tell me you're fine. Because I worry about you. You're a danger to yourself and society at large when you decide that feelings aren't a real thing you should have to go through. I know you, man."

Inuyasha shoulders his bag and picks up the water bottle he dropped on his bed earlier. His stomach is flipping terribly and the shakiness is starting to come back. He's going to have to force Sesshomaru to pull over for some greasy food or he's definitely going to puke in the car. Hell, he might puke anyways.

"Promise me, idiot," Miroku chastises.

Inuyasha rolls his eyes but nods, ignoring the way his best friend lights up. "Yes. I promise."

"Good."

"Good."

"This is personal growth, Inuyasha."

Groaning, he pushes Miroku out of his bedroom door and then locks it. "You're worse than any girlfriend I could possibly have. Just marry Sango and forget about me already, Jesus Christ."

"Nah, when we get a place you'll be living in our spare bedroom."

Inuyasha looks over to Miroku's massive, shit-eating grin. A small smile threatens to show on his face in return.

* * *

"How is school?" Sesshomaru asks after an hour and a half of silence.

"Fuck you," Inuyasha replies.

They still have two hours to go. He's going to try for a nap.

* * *

Sesshomaru's glare is burning a hole in his head. Inuyasha continues to pretend to sleep but pretty soon he's going to snap. He has the hangover of the year and he's been in a car forever. His half-brother is lucky he didn't puke in there, especially after the greasy burger.

"Stop it," Inuyasha grumbles. "Keep your eyes on the road."

Sesshomaru makes a sound that's not quite a sigh, because he's above basic human behaviour. "Could you have at least showered before we left? You smell putrid."

Inuyasha mouths the word 'putrid' because who the _fuck_ talks like that? In response, all he does is stick up his middle finger, keeping it high enough and close enough that Sesshomaru can't ignore it.

He leaves it up in the air for a good several minutes before his arm starts to hurt. Even then, he regrets having to lower it.

* * *

The house is as big as ever. Inuyasha isn't sure why he's so surprised.

The driveway is incredibly long but impeccably shovelled, tiny little snowbanks on the sides. Someone was hired to do it because none of the Taisho men ever did it themselves. Inuyasha's father was always too busy. Sesshomaru never cared. Inuyasha preferred the library.

It's a journey in and of itself to make it to the large double doors. Inuyasha hesitates only a second before stepping fully out of the sleek sedan. He hasn't stepped foot in the house since early July, when he briefly visited to reassure his father that he wasn't dead and that he passed all of his classes with easy As. It looks just as ridiculous as it did before: massive pillars with shiny, fancy floors and posh looking decorations. It's almost a shock to his system since he's used to the crap fake-wood flooring and sparse decorating of Corner House.

"Inuyasha!"

He knows that voice and with an eye roll he lifts his head towards it. There, standing on the second floor and looking down at them, is Myoga. He's the caretaker of the house – has been as long as Inuyasha can remember. His hair is greying now worse than ever but he's just as spry as he makes a beeline for the spiral staircase to come and greet them.

Inuyasha sighs in exaggeration but it takes a lot of willpower for him to repress the smile that wants to come out at seeing the old man. Myoga has always been a constant in his life and was for most of his childhood years his best friend.

That should say a lot.

"Welcome home!" Myoga cheers as he approaches, quickly pulling Inuyasha in for a hug. Just as quickly he pushes him back out to arm's length, studying him. "How have you been doing?"

"I've been good."

"You've been _well_ ," Myoga corrects with a grin. He gives Inuyasha one last pat on the shoulder before standing straighter and addressing Sesshomaru. "Your father is awake in his room."

"How's he doing?" Sesshomaru asks, hanging up his coat and not even looking in the old man's direction. The way he's speaking, it's like he's asking about the goddamn weather rather than their father's health.

Myoga considers this for a moment. "He says he's having a good day. He ate this morning and had a bit for lunch. Feels a bit better, I think."

Sesshomaru nods his head and then walks away, leaving them both standing in the lobby. Inuyasha turns to look at their caretaker – older than their father but so much more – and shrugs. "He's fucking weird."

"Language," Myoga chastises lightly.

"What are you doing?" Sesshomaru demands, coming back into view and glaring at him. "Stop wasting my time and come." His half-brother disappears again.

"I'm going to murder him," Inuyasha comments casually before following – as slowly as he possibly can – into the other room. He ignores the loud sigh Myoga makes behind him. By now, he's learned it's pointless to stop them from bickering.

The house is still familiar, the turns and doorways like an echo in his head. Inuyasha follows his half-brother a few paces behind until they're standing inside his childhood bedroom. Very little has changed although Inuyasha had never truly decorated it. He's vaguely embarrassed to realize his rock collection is still there in the corner.

"You're going to go talk to Father now, before he gets worse," Sesshomaru says without prelude, swivelling around like a freaking supervillain in a movie. He stops talking, stares at Inuyasha like the statement was worthy of a response.

Inuyasha pointedly stays silent. Fucker.

"He's not the same."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha gives up and goes to sit down on his bed. It's still as springy and soft as he remembers. His mattress at Corner House is the exact opposite. "Gee, thanks. The man's fucking dying and you tell me _he's not the same_. No fucking way, Sherlock. Anything else?"

"There's no need to get prissy."

"Fuck you," Inuyasha replies, flinging himself backwards so he's lying down now. He stares up at the ceiling, at the glow-in-the-dark stars that are still there. He's pretty sure they no longer glow and was disappointed about it in the summer. "I'm not an idiot, Sesshomaru."

"And yet, you act in a manner that suggests otherwise."

"Just because I don't have a ten-foot pole up my ass like you doesn't mean I'm dumb or immature."

"You ran away from home like a child."

Inuyasha snorts, because that goddamn figures. "Uh huh, keep telling yourself that. You know what? Fuck you. Get out of my room. I'll go talk to Dad in a moment."

"No, now."

Sitting up, inexplicably pissed off so fast he's practically suffering whiplash, Inuyasha growls out, "Considering I've got nothing to fucking talk to him about, I have to figure a few things out beforehand. The man hasn't said a word to me in months. Hasn't sent a text message. Hasn't called. The only reason I came back in the summer was because Myoga fucking called me and mentioned how _nice_ it would be. _He's_ old, so I fucking came back. And you know what? Dad and I maybe spoke for a total of five hours in the whole two weeks I was here. So e-fucking-xcuse me if I need a moment, you son of a _whore_."

Sesshomaru glares at him, dead-eyed. There's a long moment of silence and then he raises his arm and points out the door. "Go."

"Get the fuck out."

"Please."

It's Inuyasha's turn to glare because in all of his years alive on this stupid earth, he's never heard his half-brother utter that word in anything other than disdain, sarcasm or venom. This is something else entirely and it's caught his attention. "Why?"

"Because I've seen Father throughout this whole ordeal and he's having a good day. Just go. You have a big mouth, I'm sure you'll find something to talk about."

The anger doesn't leave him but for whatever reason, Inuyasha finds himself standing up and heading towards the door. He punches Sesshomaru's arm rather aggressively on the walk-by and it must be really bad – really goddamn bad – because his half-brother doesn't even respond in kind.

Myoga's shuffling can be heard even down the hall but he's clearly in the kitchen preparing something. No one follows him as he leaves what is technically his wing of the house, heading upstairs towards his father's domain. The bedroom doors are closed but that's not a surprise; Inuyasha can't honestly remember a time when the doors were ever left open.

He knocks quietly and hears a wheeze of a sound, a sort of affirmation.

Inuyasha feels his jaw tightening with every inch of the door opening. The noises come to him first: the beeping, the rattling of breath. The lights are on but incredibly dim, yet nothing could stop him from seeing the man lying on the mattress.

"Dad?"

It doesn't look like him. The tall intimidating man he's always known has shrunk, looking very tiny indeed in the large king-sized bed. It shocks him then – an electric jolt straight to his nerves – that his father didn't look like this when he visited over the summer. How was the progression so quick to occur? Had he lost weight and Inuyasha never looked, never noticed?

His father gives him a ghost of a smile, but it's more than normal. "Inuyasha, you're here."

"It's Christmas," he says, leaving out the fact that Sesshomaru drove and practically dragged him to the house. Their father may or may not know that. "I was coming back."

Humming, his father presses down on the sheets to make them lie down flatter, press against him more snugly. "How was the drive?"

"Terrible but Sesshomaru is abysmal company."

"I see they're teaching you the big words in university."

Inuyasha sits down in the nearby leather chair that's facing the bed. Someone is sitting there often, though he doubts it's his half-brother. Myoga, probably. The old man had the best heart of them all. "Kind of the point of paying them."

"The most expensive piece of paper you'll ever get," his father says seriously, all trace of a smile gone. "And you're doing well?"

"I don't have the marks back and won't for a bit, but it wasn't possible for me to fail anyways."

"Myoga will be pleased to hear that. I can tell him the tutors were well-picked."

It's almost a sham, the whole fucking thing. Sitting at his bedside and trying to make conversation. Inuyasha could count on his two hands the number of times he and his father talked about things that were unimportant and just for the sake of talking. Conversations were valuable and always had a meaning or a motive. Inuyasha remembers the time his father first talked about his mother, how he had fallen in love and hadn't planned it. How he and Sesshomaru's mother had been drifting apart for years. How happy they were.

And how Inuyasha had to stop acting out just because he had questions about her. His mother wouldn't be happy knowing it was bothering him this way.

There was always a reason. There was never idle chit-chat.

This is unprecedented.

His father really is dying.

"Are you and Sesshomaru speaking?" his father asks finally, looking somewhat pensive about it. That, too, is a shock. Taisho men are famous for their stone faces and Inuyasha is without a doubt the worst of them all. Sesshomaru always made fun of him for wearing his heart on his sleeve. Apparently, it was a trait of his mother's.

"More than in the summer."

"You didn't speak during the summer."

"That's why it's more and not less," Inuyasha replies. He's annoyed by this whole thing, antsy and unable to stay still. He wants to pace around the room at least but his father looks so fragile, moving his head would probably do some damage. He adds, somewhat belatedly, "We're being mostly civil."

"What's the worst you've called him so far?" his father asks, sighing. It's no more than a tiny exhale of breath. So much less than the hoity puff of before when he was healthy.

To lie, or not to lie. The look on his father's face suggests the latter. "You don't want to know."

"Inuyasha."

He sighs, irritated. "Fine. The worst? So far? I called him the son of whore less than five minutes ago but in my defence, he was being a complete asshole. You know what he's like."

His father shakes his head the slightest amount but for whatever reason, there's a tiny smile on his face. "And I know you."

The two of them fall into silence again. It's not uncomfortable but this is unchartered territory. Inuyasha feels himself squirming, unable to stop himself. He opens his mouth, closes it and then blurts out the first thing that comes to mind. "There's a girl I like." Dear god. Sweet baby Jesus, why did he say that?

His father looks so fucking happy though, it almost knocks Inuyasha over. "Oh?" he asks, somewhat casually.

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit_. "Yeah," he mumbles, shrugging. "Kind of. I think. It's a bit complicated."

"And you love nothing more than making things complicated," his father replies, nodding slightly. "I remember when you and Sesshomaru were younger, I gave you each a money clip. Both were gold but one was white while the other was yellow. I knew you'd want the white gold, so I presented it to you. But you… No, when something was given to you easily you always looked around as if it wasn't worth it. Couldn't be that easy, so to speak. You waited for Sesshomaru to want what you had and when he didn't, you complained about wanting yellow gold instead. It was all I heard. So I decided to take it back, to replace it with the yellow gold, but then you started freaking out the moment I took it away from you because you wanted the white gold all along."

Inuyasha blinks. None of this comes to mind. "What?"

"You were difficult." His father gives another small smile. "I can't imagine that's changed. What's her name?"

He swallows. "Uh, Kagome. She goes to school with me."

"And how did you meet?"

This can't be of interest to him, surely not. His father has never asked him questions like this before ever. They've talked about easy things: sports, classes, business. The new Starbucks drink that his father has become addicted to that Inuyasha refuses to try. Superficial things. "Well, it's a bit of a long story and we're not– We're not together. I'm not even sure if it's a thing. It's hard to tell."

His father huffs again, a weak laugh. "And why's that?"

"Well, she's the exact opposite of me." Inuyasha looks at his father seriously and then points at him. "Everything that I am, she is not. It's crazy. She's talkative and gets along with everyone. And I mean _everyone_. You should see people around her. They hover, waiting to speak with her. And we'll be in the hallway and people will _leave their group of friends_ just to say hi. She knows everyone. And her Instagram page gets hundreds of likes in a matter of minutes–"

"Instagram?" his father interrupts.

"A fucking awful thing with pictures. I don't know, I don't have it. But she does and people love her." Inuyasha takes a deep breath and realizes that he literally just had verbal diarrhea. He just blurted out the stupidest shit ever to his father, who he's barely spoken to for, well, most of his life.

For the most part, his father looks to be enjoying it. He stares up at the ceiling pensively and then says, "Well, they do say opposites attract. Your mother and I were much the same way. So how does her being an extrovert make this, as you say, _not a thing_?"

Inuyasha frowns. "I thought– It's complicated. My roommate who is a complete asshole but maybe not – I don't know – he likes her too. And he made his move before I realized. And I thought they were together."

His father sighs. "But?"

"But maybe not." Inuyasha shrugs. "I don't really know. I don't know what being in a relationship should look like so it's hard to say. But I'm pretty sure they're not anymore. Or they weren't."

"Can't you just make it easier and _ask_?" his father presses.

Inuyasha grimaces. "That's what I want to do least."

"Sesshomaru's practically cradle robbing and you're too scared to make a move." His father sighs again, much louder, causing himself to cough. Inuyasha stands to get him water but he simply gets waved at, a suggestion to sit back down. It doesn't take him long to continue. "I fear for the both of you. You both ended up more like me than your mothers, which is not particularly a good thing. If I could change some things…" He trails off, still looking at the ceiling. If you asked Inuyasha, his father almost looked sad. But that was impossible because he'd never seen that expression before, not on him.

"What's this about cradle robbing?" Inuyasha asks, ending the moment as quickly as he can the only way he knows how.

Another dismissive wave of his hand, his father settling back onto the bed to get more comfortable. "Exaggeration, mostly. Tell me more about this Kagome girl. Maybe I can help."

Inuyasha sincerely doubts it. Frankly, this isn't even something he wants to discuss but it's something he can – apparently – go on about. It seems to even make his father happy.

And for the first time in a very long time, he just sits with there and talks with his father about Kagome, Corner House, and nothing particularly interesting at all.

* * *

Inuyasha was too little to remember his mother. His father never talked much about her, unless directly asked. Eventually, Inuyasha stopped asking.

There was a room though; a library filled with books. It was her room – it had to be – because Sesshomaru's mother never lived in their house and no one ventured in that Inuyasha could ever remember. The chair in the corner though, by the window…

It was too well used for simple decoration.

When Sesshomaru was being too mean and his father was still out at work, Inuyasha would open the door and step inside. No one would look for him there, not even Myoga. He didn't know why people avoided the room but they did.

His father always looked a little sad near it.

But Inuyasha always felt a sense of peace. Maybe it was the smell of the books, or the way the chair hugged him when he sat down in it, dark brown eyes staring out the window to their backyard. It was his room now, he guessed.

He used to snuggle into the cushions and watch the sky.

* * *

Inuyasha knows Sesshomaru is in the overly large kitchen but he's too worn out to care and too strung out to sit in his room. He can only hope that his presence will drive his half-brother out, like it always used to do when they were children. It doesn't appear to be the case, however, not when Sesshomaru's milky brown eyes land on him and he does nothing more than stare back down at his drink. Scotch, from the look of it.

"How did it go?" Sesshomaru asks quietly, gently swirling his drink.

"Fine, I guess. He's sleeping now." Inuyasha frowns at his half-brother, not understanding. "What did you think would happen?"

Nothing more than a hum is given and it would irritate Inuyasha if he cared. At the moment, he very much doesn't. Approaching the kitchen cupboards, he takes out a tumbler and pours himself a finger of scotch, noting the brand with horrified approval. Taisho men knew good liquor.

"He specifically asked for me to go and get you," Sesshomaru says suddenly. It seems like an accidental admission because immediately he takes a sip of his drink, eyes pointedly staring across the room and not at Inuyasha.

"Considering the circumstances, I'm glad he did," Inuyasha replies. "You know how fucked up we all are but it'd be pretty shit to not…talk, at little." He shrugs, takes a sip of his own drink. The burn washes all the way down, warming him. "Never really did it when I was younger."

"And whose fault is that?" Sesshomaru asks. He sends a sharp glare over. "It's not like you ever came out of that damn room."

"Not like you wouldn't try to beat the shit out of me if I was anywhere else," Inuyasha snaps right back. "I fucking know all about you and your bullshit, so don't lecture me. I'm not a child anymore."

Sesshomaru snorts, uncharacteristic of him. Inuyasha wonders how many fingers of scotch he's had. "Beat the shit of you, _right_. Like you didn't ever win."

"Broke my arm, didn't you?" Inuyasha mutters. The grip on his half-brother's glass goes vaguely white but before any sort of retort can be said, he continues. "But it's not like you didn't have your own reasons. I was the kid whose mother made yours leave. It's not a fucking secret. Not anymore at least."

There's a long moment of silence, where the only things that could be heard were their swallows and the slosh of alcohol in their glasses. Standing side by side, a solid foot between them, the evening was almost peaceful.

Sesshomaru blows out the tiniest of breaths. "He loves you. I figure he never said it, since he never said it to me, but he did. He does."

"I know," Inuyasha mumbles. "I didn't doubt that. I didn't hate him; I know you think I do."

"Then why stay away from home?"

"I hate _you_ ," Inuyasha replies, not missing a beat. "And you're always here so I decided: fuck that. And getting out of this house was…" _Necessary_. He doesn't say it though.

Sesshomaru doesn't glance his way. He doesn't fight the admission or try to make excuses. It's for the best, regardless. Now is not the time to rehash old memories. Eventually, though, one of them has to give in. Inuyasha's just surprised it's not him.

"I'm having a hard time–" Sesshomaru pauses, looks back down in his drink like the scotch will finish the rest of the sentence for him. He must be drunk. There's no other explanation.

"Forgiving him?"

His half-brother shakes his head. "No. I made my peace with my parents long ago. But I never understood. I didn't know why your mother was more important than mine." It's not an excuse or validation. It's a sentence, just crossing the line of suspicious timing based on what was said. He's not going to read further into it.

Honestly, Inuyasha's not sure if he should say what their father once told him, how he and Sesshomaru's mother had fallen out of love even before they had Sesshomaru. How they had both been unhappy. How Sesshomaru's mother didn't want to stop her lifestyle for her son. Some people weren't born to be parents.

He wonders if their father ever explained that to Sesshomaru.

Knowing their father, probably not.

"Well, our fighting ended up being good for something," Inuyasha says with all of the casualness he can muster. "Some asshole attacked me at a party. Sucker punched me from behind like a little bitch. Hit him back though. I'm pretty sure he was bleeding."

"Why you live in that disgusting fraternity is beyond me," Sesshomaru says with disdain. "We can afford an apartment for you that is not infested with cockroaches."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. There haven't been cockroaches in Corner House since the eighties, according to the history. "Fuck off," he replies, without any real heat. "I like it there."

"You?" Sesshomaru spares a glance at him, somewhat in shock. As much shock that ever shows on his face, really. Taisho men were known for good liquor _and_ blank faces. "You like being in a house with ten others."

"Six, asshole. They're good guys." Inuyasha buys some time by taking a sip of the scotch, waiting for the burn to slowly subside. He never liked this house. It was always fucking empty, even when he had the tutors and the gardeners and the cleaners and shit. The guys at the house could be annoying as shit but they weren't bad. If Inuyasha had a choice, he would always choose Corner House.

"I thought you didn't make friends."

"One of them is. Saying the others are is a bit of a stretch, I think. I don't know."

Sesshomaru raises a brow. "You don't know?"

"When would I have learned, huh?" Inuyasha replies. He points at his half-brother, then back at himself. "We were homeschooled. You left for university and I sat here all fucking alone. Dad never was home to sign shit and Myoga couldn't drive. How the hell was I supposed to go anywhere to meet anyone?"

Surprisingly, Sesshomaru doesn't have an answer to that. He simply looks away again and stares into the empty kitchen.

"I'm fucking hungry," Inuyasha finally says. He looks at his tumbler and wonders if he should have another finger of scotch. It's most likely a terrible idea, considering he still feels like absolute shit from yesterday and his stomach has eaten nothing more than greasy fries with a cheeseburger.

"We'll get delivery," Sesshomaru responds, pushing away from the counter with finality. "I'm picking though. If your taste in lunch showed me anything, it's that you can't be trusted with food."

He would disagree but Sesshomaru's already gone.

Inuyasha finishes off the scotch and stares at the door his half-brother disappeared through, wondering at the fact that it took their father lying on his death bed to have a partially decent conversation. He hadn't even spoken to him when he returned that last summer. The two of them never had a good relationship. Sesshomaru was too angry as a child and Inuyasha was too confused, too lonely in the big house. Their father was never around to stop it and Myoga tried but… It wasn't his job or his place.

Putting down the tumbler, he wonders if that was what his father meant. When he said he would change a few things if he could, Inuyasha thinks that maybe this was one of them.

* * *

His dad dies the next morning.

Myoga doesn't even have to say anything. Inuyasha is in his room when there's a soft knock at the door. The old man stares at him sadly, lips pursed tightly like he wants to say so many things he can't let out.

Forcing out a breath, Inuyasha sits down heavily on his bed, feeling the mattress curve around him.

Myoga hesitates, enters and then sits down. He too stares at the floor, just like Inuyasha is because he can't look anywhere else. He doesn't know what to feel.

"He loved you," the caretaker says simply.

"Yeah," Inuyasha whispers, closing his eyes. "Yeah."

* * *

There's a lot of work involved in dying.

Inuyasha stares at the kitchen table, at the lines etched into the well-used wood. If he looks under it, he'll probably find an engraving of his initials from when he was young and thought etching "IT" into furniture was a risk worth taking.

Sesshomaru is on the phone in whatever room of the house. He can't be bothered to even check. He's talking estate and caskets and wills and power of attorney. For one small moment, Inuyasha is immensely glad for his asshole half-brother. He wouldn't have the first clue how to go about this. The most he knows is where the funeral is going to take place, and the burial. Same as Mom.

Huh.

He doesn't even know what to do with himself right now. The whole thing is surreal. One moment he was just hung over and suffering. Then next he's being forcibly dragged back home early for a reason that seems ridiculous given past history. And now his dad is dead and—

He's not sure what to think.

Inuyasha is pretty sure he's supposed to feel something though, other than this strange blankness his body has seemed to cling to like a limpet.

Pulling out his cell phone, he checks the last text message he got. It's from Miroku. _Fuckwit, want to send me that text you promised?_

He uses commas and full words and everything. Miroku's always done that. Right now, he's focusing on it. Christ, he must be losing his mind. Slowly, he starts a new message.

 _Hey sry_

Inuyasha stares at his phone. Now what?

 _Dad died_

He blinks, reads it again. That works, he thinks. Gets the point across. He hits send.

His phone starts ringing seconds later, like Miroku had nothing better to do than stare at his phone and wait for a call. Inuyasha answers it.

"What's with the name calling? You miss me that much loser?" There's a long, heavy pause on the other end. Oh great, he's shocked the guy into silence. Hell, if he can't talk then Inuyasha is afraid this whole conversation is fucked. He sure as hell doesn't know what to say.

"Obviously," Miroku says finally and it's filled with false cheer but it's there nonetheless. "What are you doing right now?"

"Waiting for breakfast. Or, I guess by now lunch." He shrugs. He honestly has no idea what time it is. "Sesshomaru's still on the phone. I'm pretty sure he didn't sleep last night."

A pause, but smaller this time. "Did you sleep?"

"Mostly," Inuyasha answers, thinking back to his long conversation with his half-brother last night. Sesshomaru had been right, as per usual. A week was far too long of an estimate.

"Are you…okay?"

Inuyasha doesn't sigh but he kind of wants to. He doesn't know how he's feeling, if he's being honest. "Yeah, I think so. All of this is fucking surreal. Yesterday I was at home." _At Corner House_. "And now, all this."

"The guys here are all a bit freaked out that you're gone," Miroku admits. "Mainly because none of them knew about Sesshomaru. Now they're asking me all sorts of questions. I haven't said anything."

"S'alright," Inuyasha mumbles. "You can tell them some things. We both know I'm not going to say shit."

"You are The Rock," his friend agrees. The conversation just continues as normal. Inuyasha clings to it desperately.

* * *

After talking to Miroku for another hour, it doesn't take much longer after that for his phone to sort of blow up. Six text messages in a row is considered really popular for him. Inuyasha glares as his cell vibrates yet again with a new message. He doesn't understand how people can text _all the time_. It's mainly just his roommates at Corner House. Sango had messaged near immediately, so he figures Miroku was with her when they spoke.

At this point, he shouldn't know anyone else. Literally all of his friends sent something already.

Inuyasha blinks when he sees the notification and then hastily he opens up his text messages. Kagome Higurashi's name is in his phone.

 _I'm so, so sorry for your loss. If you need anything, I'm here._

He's pretty sure that he never got Kagome's number. Considering the whole not-going-to-try-with-her thing, Inuyasha is positive that he would've known.

Kagome never had his phone.

Frowning, he stares at the screen, at the two sentences she left.

The only person who has touched his phone was…the redhead. Ayame. _You're a good guy. Quiet, but I think in this case, that's a good thing._

Huh.

* * *

The day of the funeral was on the coldest fucking day ever. It kind of figures.

He's in an old suit that's too thin for the weather but costs more than the money he's spent on food all year. It's Myoga who finds it and puts it out. Inuyasha isn't sure if it was the old man's intention to make him and Sesshomaru look identical or not, but with the matching Tom Ford jackets and crisp black suits, and with the long black hair blowing in the wind, they're undoubtedly their father's sons. Many people come up to him and give their condolences. Sesshomaru seems to know almost all of them while he very much does not. He politely nods his head and accepts their words anyways, letting them continue down the line. Their family wasn't religious but a man speaks anyways, gives a few words about the continuity of life even after the body is gone.

He doesn't really listen to it and neither he, nor Sesshomaru, speak. It's probably better off that way, especially to all of these people who have an image of a man in their heads that is probably nothing like Inuyasha's.

It's not until it's time for them to move to the cemetery grounds that he notices them. Very close to the back and all dressed up in barely matching dress shirts and pants are his roommates: Kouga, Hakkaku, Ginta, Hachi, Naraku and Miroku. Even Sango is there and beside her is–

Kagome gives him a half-smile, half-frown, which he thinks is near impossible to do but of course she would pull it off.

All of them came.

It's pretty ridiculous but for the first time, Inuyasha actually feels emotional. He feels _sad_ and even lost. It's not an unfamiliar feeling, not coming from the house he grew up in.

"Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru asks lowly.

"Yeah, I'm here," he replies, nonsensically. He has to practically drag his eyes away from the group of them but when he does, he notices his half-brother is looking over in that direction. He must see them but what he thinks about it doesn't show on his face.

"Shall we?" Sesshomaru asks instead, almost politely. He nods to the others around the casket and together, they walk out of the room and toward the waiting Hurst.

Sesshomaru drives like an old man so as much as Inuyasha wants to make him wait so he can see his friends, he doesn't say a word. He figures if they drove all the way, they would probably go to the cemetery too. It had been his half-brother's decision to not restrict who went, otherwise it would be only a handful paying their final respects. Given their father's tendencies in life, it made more sense for more to be there.

Time doesn't blur, nor does it slow down, but Inuyasha doesn't do much more than help the casket out of the Hurst and bring it to the spot, the workers getting the rest of it set up. Sesshomaru moves on to speak to someone but Inuyasha takes a deep breath and looks over to the tombstone right beside.

 _Izayoi Taisho._

Myoga stands beside him for a moment and places a hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" he asks, somewhat hesitantly.

Inuyasha nods. "Yeah, I'm good."

It says something that the old man doesn't correct him. Myoga merely hovers for a while later before moving on, blending into the crowd that's starting to form. He hears footsteps coming close and doesn't have to turn to know who it is next.

"Thanks for coming," he says, gruffer than he means. Miroku just envelops him in a hug, not saying a word.

"Hey man," Hachi greets, awkwardly patting him around Miroku's octopus-like arms. "How are you holding up?"

"Okay, thanks," Inuyasha replies. Gently, he pries off his best friend and shakes him. "Thanks."

"Repeating yourself already?" Miroku asks.

"No, just…" Inuyasha shrugs. "Thanks for coming all the way down."

Sango pushes her way past everyone and hugs him quickly. "It was Kouga's idea but Hachi's car. And Hakkaku managed to borrow one too from his parents."

"I said we could all just cram in but someone wanted to follow the law," Miroku complains, sighing dramatically, overdoing it for his benefit.

"Inuyasha." Sesshomaru's voice floats over, his look just as impassive as ever. Things must be ready to continue if he's being summoned.

"I'll see you guys later, right?" he asks.

"Yeah, of course," Ginta replies, knocking him in the shoulder lightly.

With a last look at all of them, Inuyasha tries not to let his gaze linger on Kagome's face before he heads toward his half-brother. He's standing closest to the plot, staring at the casket with a closed-off expression. Beside him is Myoga and another older gentleman that Inuyasha only vaguely recognizes. Probably someone from the company.

"Are you–?" He cuts himself off before he finishes that question. What a stupid mistake that was.

Sesshomaru spares him a glance but doesn't do much else. The officiant starts to speak and Inuyasha once again lets words spill over him. The wind has toned down but is still bitter cold. His hands are stuffed into his pockets deep, trying to find warmth. He's pretty sure his ears are going to fall off and his hair is going to be an absolute mess.

He stares at the casket. His father is in there, having passed away mere days ago.

It's almost startling that the thought is followed immediately by the lowering of it. Slowly, the beautiful wood-finish dips under, disappearing with every second that passes.

His throat feels like its tightening; it's harder to swallow. Inuyasha forces his eyes to the ground and tries to breathe. Of all the moments for this to happen, it has to hit him _now_. His father is really gone and even though they weren't close, it's still awful. His mom he barely remembers – maybe that's better, or maybe it's worse – but regardless of how subpar at fatherhood he was, Inuyasha knows him. Knew him.

Myoga is pressing a rose into his hand and another into Sesshomaru's. He stares at the old man, completely confused as to the flower's presence when his half-brother steps forward. He goes towards the edge, his black hair blowing wildly in the breeze. It's completely silent at the cemetery so it's almost physically painful when Sesshomaru drops the rose and the sound of it hitting the casket can be heard.

Inuyasha tries to swallow again, fails, and moves forward too. Sesshomaru takes only a small step back to let him through. It's almost worse going second, he thinks somewhat desperately. All he sees is the casket and the single rose, simply…there.

He doesn't think _goodbye_ or _thank you_ or _I love you_. Inuyasha merely inhales and exhales, letting the rose go the same time as his breath leaves his lips.

Turning, he looks at Sesshomaru. The carefully blank mask is still there, as strong and impenetrable as ever, but for a moment he thinks he sees a crack. It's the way he's so still, holding himself as if a single movement will shatter all the control he has. Carefully, Inuyasha presses up close to him at his side so that their shoulders and arms are together.

"I'm sorry," Inuyasha whispers roughly.

"Yes," Sesshomaru replies, "Me too."

The officiant thanks everyone for coming and slowly the crowd dissipates. They won't fill the plot until everyone has left and Inuyasha is grateful for it. He's feeling a bit shaky and unstable, made even worse by the look in his brother's eyes. He couldn't even look at Myoga if he wanted too; the old man's eyes are red and his sniffles are hard to miss. The caretaker was probably their father's longest and greatest friend.

Eventually Sesshomaru leaves, telling him that he'll be by the car whenever he is ready. Inuyasha doesn't think he can move, not really. He just keeps staring, seeing the image of the two lone roses on top of the casket where his father lies. Before he was so certain that he should feel something. Now, he regrets it.

"Hey." The word is said so softly it's barely heard over the wind. Inuyasha turns and sees Kagome, her eyes soft and wide. Her small hand grips at his arm, holding him. "I'm so sorry," she murmurs.

And maybe it's the sadness that he can see in her brown orbs, or maybe it's the closeness. It could be a million things or it could fall into just one, tiny category but he loses it. He takes a deep breath and it catches painfully in his chest and before he knows it, there's a hand in his hair and Kagome's hugging him tight.

Inuyasha hides his face in her hair, his fingers flexing and coiling into fists in his black jacket. He lets her hold him, thinks about the words he last spoke with his father about her. He and Sesshomaru took after him, always holding back and hiding the things they felt. Even with his mother's blood, there were layers and layers covering the heart on his sleeve.

Taking one more deep breath, Inuyasha pulls his hands out of his pockets and holds her tight.

He exhales, long and slow.

* * *

 **Next Time on** _ **Tell Me I'm Crazy**_ _ **:**_ "So let me get this straight," Miroku huffs. "You think Kagome is crazy because she can't be as perfect as she seems. You think she's crazy. How can you–?" He breaks off, irritated. "Good god, Sango is going to murder me but I've got to tell you something."

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Rogerthat9800:_ Hello new friend! Well thanks so much for taking a chance on this story! I appreciate it.

 _Fandomsandmusic:_ I know you commented on Chapter 2, but just wanted to drop a note to thank you for your kind words. I'm so happy you're enjoying the story!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** This story actually has no chapters. It was all written in one impossibly long document, completely without chapter breaks. That's why I've labelled it as "Parts" at the beginning of each chapter. It's just part of what I've cut from the whole story.

 **Feedback is love.**


	7. Part VII

**Author's Note:** Prepare the fluff. All the fluff.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part VII**

* * *

As much as he wants his friends to stay, Inuyasha feels a sort of relief when they all take off. He gets hugs from each of them. Naraku even pets him slightly, making a shushing noise that's vaguely alarming. It was a nice gesture though, all said and done.

"Text me," Miroku had said, blue eyes serious and focused in on him. "Please. Every morning, so I don't cry thinking about you all alone." Inuyasha hadn't known what to say so he simply nodded. A single text was easy enough, especially if it meant that much.

Kagome had held herself back a bit, waiting for the rest of the group to say goodbye before she came forward. She looked up at him, brown eyes still soft and a little sad. Reaching out to him, she held his hand and whispered goodbye, saying she would see him before the new year, as long as he came back.

At the time, it wasn't even a question. Of course he would be back. Corner House was his home. This big empty house was no better with his father dead and the faster he could get away the better.

It doesn't take long for Inuyasha to realize that he's the one handling their father's passing best. Myoga is a quiet wreck that doesn't stop moving even when the house is spotless. Sesshomaru is simply gone. The first night and most of the next day, he leaves it alone. He and Sesshomaru never sought each other out, especially not with the way they left things over a year ago. Maybe it just wasn't any different. Inuyasha couldn't expect something like this to change anything.

It's almost dinnertime and Myoga is cooking up a ridiculous meal for the three of them. Normally, the caretaker only ever cooked for himself but he's been on edge, trying to keep himself going. Inuyasha has never really experienced grief before – has never really seen it in other people – but he's heard that everyone deals with it differently. This was most likely just the old man's way.

"Inuyasha, there you are," Myoga says, giving him a small smile. He spins around quickly to give something simmering in a pot a stir before returning his attention. "What have you been up to?"

"Reading," he replies with a shrug. He got bored of the games on his phone in the morning and all of his video games are back at Corner House. "Do you need any help?"

Myoga shakes his head, what's left of his salt-and-pepper hair becoming even more of a tragic mess. He's been running his hands through it. "No, I'm fine, thank you." He checks something in the oven, bends over and then pauses, slowly standing back up. "Actually, yes."

"I can do something?" Inuyasha asks, somewhat surprised.

"Have you seen your brother at all?" the caretaker asks, grey eyes sad. He wipes his hands on a dishtowel before placing it on the counter.

"No." Not since the funeral, but he doesn't say that. It sounds terrible in his head and he can only imagine what it would sound like out loud. "We never spent time together before so I assumed…" He trails off, unsure of how to continue. Inuyasha's not certain of how stupid it sounds. Should he have checked? Was that something he should have known to do?

Myoga nods firmly once and then spins around. "Well, I think it's best if you go find him and fetch him for supper. It'll be ready momentarily and considering both of you have been living on nothing more than cereal and my leftovers for the last few meals, I expect you here for this one. It'll be ready in twenty."

Twenty minutes? Inuyasha frowns. That's a fair amount of time to go and get him. Does the old man think Sesshomaru's hiding? He waits for a moment at the counter but Myoga merely shoots him a dismissive glance that clearly means to get moving. Apparently, something is up and Inuyasha would be smart to get a move on. There are a few rooms that Inuyasha knows to check first. When all of those options are exhausted and he still hasn't seen his half-brother, Inuyasha realizes that maybe he would actually need those full twenty minutes.

It turns out to be the last room he expects and the only reason Inuyasha looks is because the door is slightly ajar. Like their father, Sesshomaru's bedroom door was always closed. This time it isn't, and it's startling enough that Inuyasha slowly creeps forward to check it out.

He knocks on the door lightly and then pokes his head in. For a moment, he almost wishes that he didn't notice the door open at all. It's horrifying to see his brother, sitting on a leather chair in the corner of the room, staring out the window. Sesshomaru generally doesn't show any emotion other than disdain but this is clearly unhappiness. He's _sad_.

Fuck.

Inuyasha blinks and then freezes immediately when his half-brother turns his milky brown gaze on him. Well. Now what does he do?

"What?" Sesshomaru demands, voice harsh and rough, like he's been talking far too much or far too little.

Inuyasha realizes pretty quickly that Myoga sent him here for more than just a reminder to eat. What a devious little man. Well, in for a penny, or whatever the fuck that saying is. "I haven't seen you around."

"Mm, well I've had business to attend to. A company doesn't just halt production because the CEO dies." Sesshomaru looks back out the window at the darkening sky.

Yeah. Because this whole thing wasn't depressing to begin with. Jesus Christ. "Say it with a little less compassion next time, huh?" Inuyasha sneers. He wants to get a rise, wants to see something on that impassive face that he goddamn recognizes. Because this? This isn't healthy and if _he_ can see it, then it must be bad.

Sesshomaru doesn't disappoint. He whips his head around and stands up sharply. Of the two of them, his older half-brother is taller by a couple inches. He uses it to look down his nose at him, all high and mighty and like the total douchebag he is. "That's rich coming from you."

Where Sesshomaru's words are like ice, Inuyasha is the exact opposite, fire exploding. "From me?" He forces out a laugh, "Uh huh. Here we go again with it's all my fault."

"You don't get to talk to me about _compassion_ when you had absolutely none for him," Sesshomaru hisses back. " _I_ was the one that was here. _I_ took care of him."

"Yeah, you fucking did–"

"You did nothing."

"You made it impossible to stay!" Inuyasha yells, stepping in closer. If Sesshomaru wants to get it all out then they are going to have it out. "And guess what, fuck face? You only have yourself to blame! These issues you've got going around in your head? All on you, asshole."

It's like déjà vu, the way that Sesshomaru tackles him and forces him to the floor. Inuyasha's not prepared for it but this is something he _knows_ with Sesshomaru so he kicks out instinctively. It doesn't land anywhere but sudden pain flashes along his ribs. The fucker is punching him there, again, and Inuyasha grabs at Sesshomaru's throat, pushing his thumb into the jugular enough to make his half-brother sit back more. The shift from defence to offence gives him enough leverage to punch Sesshomaru's stomach but all it does is leave him open for an elbow to the gut.

 _Fine_ , if it's going to be like that– Inuyasha sits up, fails and only manages to grasp a large handful of Sesshomaru's hair. It tugs the both of them down, Sesshomaru's irritated growl nearly drowned out by Inuyasha's cursing. "Fuck you!" he yells, shoving at his half-brother's head and trying to punch at whatever he can reach. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you." Sesshomaru slaps at his face, probably to shut him up, and then punches him once again in the stomach. It knocks the breath right out of him, forcing a cough between his lips, and Inuyasha uses the only energy he has left to grab his half-brother by the throat and push him off. It only half works, so Inuyasha kicks him in the balls for good measure.

Sesshomaru makes a sort of wheezing sound that's barely heard because the asshole is too good for normal human noises. The two of them, out of breath and in a fair amount of pain, lie on their backs on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. A minute passes, or maybe it's several, Inuyasha can't tell. The silence in the room doesn't break aside from their breathing and it seems for the purpose of self-preservation that their fight has stopped.

Thank fuck. Inuyasha takes another deep breath and regrets it when it hurts his ribs. He's getting soft from his time at Corner House. The closest they ever get to beating each other up is in Super Smash Brothers. "Feel better?" he rasps eventually, coughing once more to clear his throat. Goddamn.

"No."

Neither of them look away from the ceiling. There's a crack in it, Inuyasha notes. Myoga would shit himself if he knew.

"Good," he finally says. "You're not supposed to."

And his half-brother must be broken, or possibly drunk, because he snorts loud enough to make Inuyasha jolt, whipping his head around to stare at his older sibling. "Didn't know you switched to a psychology major," Sesshomaru says, without a trace of humour but Inuyasha is fucking _sure_ he didn't imagine the snort. "As if you know anything."

"I know you, fuck face," Inuyasha says, without any real heat. "And you, locking yourself in your room for days just to stare out the window is pathetic. Dad's gone; it fucking sucks. But wallowing in self-pity isn't going to take the edge off."

"So what would you recommend?" It's not a genuine question because the sarcasm is so tightly laced into every word that it's practically dripping venom instead.

Inuyasha shrugs, not knowing how to respond or if he even should. "I don't goddamn know. I'm not Doctor-fucking-Phil. Just don't lock yourself in your room. It can't be healthy. Be as sad and mopey as you damn well please but…be around."

"I'm sure you'll be fond of that." Less sarcasm, but Sesshomaru is releasing his patented dead tone, as if he's bored with the whole thing.

It frustrates him to no end. Inuyasha practically growls, glares at his half-brother even though he's not looking back. "Listen to what I'm saying, asshole. Dad's gone. We need to do this shit without him now so we don't have a lot of choice."

Sesshomaru's lips tighten, clearly holding back the words he wants to say. There's a moment of silence and then finally, he murmurs, "Moving on, then."

It almost sounds stupid, so Inuyasha looks back to the ceiling to avoid any judgement his half-brother may impose with a glance. "Yeah, we'll do that."

"Fine."

"Fine."

Inuyasha shifts a little and hates the fact that his ribs are still protesting. Damn, Sesshomaru got him good. It would be best if he didn't have to move for a while and with nothing pressing–

"Shit," he says, unable to hold back the sigh that escapes.

Sesshomaru does look at him then, face as blank as usual. He doesn't speak because his asshole-like demeanour does it for him.

"Myoga's made dinner and we should be there by now."

His half-brother hums, but neither one of them make a move to get up. Eventually, there's a murmur of, "He cooks when he's fretting."

"And it's about you, so feel bad that you're making him wait," Inuyasha replies.

Sesshomaru closes his eyes and with something like horror, Inuyasha sees him relax, inch by inch into the floor, the blank mask replaced with a calm he's never seen. It's like Sesshomaru isn't at heart the massive dickbag that he puts forth on a daily basis. The revelation is shocking. Mind blowing. _What the fuck_.

He can't really take any more of it, so with a grunt Inuyasha gets up and heads towards the door. "I'm blaming it all on you, for the record."

Sesshomaru hums again but doesn't disagree.

* * *

His phone is vibrating like fucking crazy.

It's like people really fucking like Christmas or something.

Groaning out loud, Inuyasha rolls over (and then rolls over again because his bed here is _huge_ ) until he can reach his phone on the nightstand. He checks it and sees a bunch of messages from Miroku and another from Sango. Figures. Even apart they're texting in sync like the weirdos in love that they are.

 _Merry Christmas boo xx_

Ugh. Miroku is killing him with the whole cuteness thing. It's too much for this early in the morning. The only time it's remotely acceptable is when he's really drunk at a Corner House party. And even then. He messages them both back and tosses his phone to the other end of his bed. He'll find it later.

Slowly, Inuyasha rolls out of bed, dragging most of his comforter with him. It's a stumble to claw out of it and another couple of seconds for Inuyasha to gather his bearings. He's not used to this room. The door is on the other side than his place at Corner House. It's a miracle he finds some shorts to slide over his boxers and a t-shirt that smells okay. Normally he doesn't crave coffee in the morning but dear god, that's the only thing he can think about.

He passes the living room along the way, seeing Sesshomaru standing at the tree with a cup of coffee in his hands and his gaze focused downwards on the presents. Inuyasha grunts his way in greeting, going straight towards the coffee maker. It's one of those fancy ones that grinds up the beans fresh. Myoga had to teach him how to use it in the summer but he still struggles now to get it working. Eventually – _eventually_ – the coffee starts to pour into his cup like the sweet elixir that it is. The first sip is practically orgasmic.

Which says a lot about his sex life at the moment.

Inuyasha takes another sip to forget.

Heading into the living room, he stands right beside his half-brother and similarly stares down at the presents. There are only a few crowding around the tree but it's obvious that there are a couple for him. Which is insane because thanks to all that's been happening, he got _shit all_ for the rest of them.

"Why would you get me a gift?" Sesshomaru asks then, sparing him a glance over his coffee mug.

Huh? "Uh–" Before he can finish that sentence though, Sesshomaru is bending down to pick up a small bag overwhelmed by tissue paper. It very clearly says on the nametag _To: Sesshomaru, From: Inuyasha_. What goddamn lies. Who–

"Myoga," they chorus, very nearly at the same time.

"He's the sole reason we even have a car service," Sesshomaru says quietly, shaking his head. He takes the gift though and sits down.

Inuyasha finds the gift for him that's conveniently from Sesshomaru. The bag is a bit larger than Sesshomaru's and heavier than he thought it would be. Together, the two of them open the gifts in silence. Inuyasha knows what it is the moment he sees the packaging, incredibly pleased. It's a pair of headphones, the really nice ones that he wanted because their sound quality was insane. They were also noise cancelling which only further proved Myoga was the mastermind behind it all. He had mentioned over the summer that exams were especially brutal to study for when all of his roommates were playing loud and obnoxious drinking games downstairs. The house was not soundproof by any imagination.

"Thanks," Inuyasha says, even though he knows Sesshomaru didn't actually do anything.

Sesshomaru is staring at a gold pocket watch, rather plain but shiny. Inuyasha can't see the detail off the face but his half-brother is staring at it like it has some sort of meaning. Knowing Myoga, it probably does.

"Thank you," Sesshomaru replies, nodding at the gift like it told him something.

Inuyasha sees movement out of the corner of his eye. He turns and watches as Myoga grins, leaning against the doorjamb to the living room, looking incredibly happy with himself. Inuyasha can't say for sure but the old man has probably been there for a while.

* * *

 _Merry Christmas, Inuyasha._

He stares at the text message and looks at it again and again, more than is strictly necessary for a sane individual.

 _Merry Christmas Kagome_

The fact that he doesn't short-form any of the words is an indication that he's already a bit screwed, but he draws the line at punctuation.

* * *

Sesshomaru walks into the living room one evening, startling Inuyasha from his nap on the couch. Blearily, he looks from the television to Sesshomaru and then back again. The movie he was watching is long over, replaced by some sort of sappy crap where a lot of people are crying.

Nope.

"Here," Sesshomaru says, distracting him fully from his attempt to change the channel. A pair of car keys are dropped into his lap. "You'll need it to go home eventually."

"You're kicking me out?" Inuyasha squints up at him, confused. Naps are terrible for him, holy hell. What _time_ is it even?

Sesshomaru looks up at the ceiling but doesn't sigh, even though he probably really wants to. "No, Inuyasha," he says, as if speaking to a small child. "This is for when you wish to go back to school. You will need a ride and I am busy."

Picking up the car keys, he notes pretty quickly which car it is. "I can't drive this back! My god, it's barely going to be safe in the driveway."

"Please," Sesshomaru sneers, "it's the least exciting of our cars and I'm not going to go out and buy you another so you feel better."

"Students don't typically drive Mercedes."

"It's the white one so try and remember to wash it."

Inuyasha makes a face, knowing exactly the shit he's going to get when he returns to Corner House. "What if I don't have a parking spot?"

"You've mistaken me for a blind imbecile that didn't notice the numerous spots available on your driveway when I picked you up a week ago. Try again, but don't lose any brain cells in the process. You're preciously short as it is."

"Ugh."

Sesshomaru strides out of the room, just as sudden as he had arrived. Inuyasha wonders how he's going to hide his keys so that Miroku won't attempt to have sex with Sango in it.

But sex with Kagome in it would be great.

Oh god. Inuyasha shakes his head, trying to dispel the avalanche of thoughts racing towards him. Last time he saw Kagome he almost cried on her shoulder. It was, situationally, probably unavoidable but it makes Inuyasha feel like his insides are flipping. Jesus Christ. Things just can't be normal, can they?

Then again, anything associated with Kagome, Inuyasha has learned, always comes with a bit of crazy.

* * *

There's only so much television he can watch and only so many times he can watch Myoga shuffle around the house doing chores. It gets so bad he actually attempts to do some cleaning himself but then the old man just glares at him haughtily, tells him he's doing it wrong, and then kicks him out of the room.

Sesshomaru is in his office, on some kind of conference call if the number of voices filtering through the phone are any indication. His half-brother looks bored but that's also par for the course. When he sees him, he puts the phone on mute and raises a brow his way.

"I'm going to go back to school tomorrow," Inuyasha announces without any preamble. He opens his mouth again, closes it and then makes an irritated noise. "That's fine, right?" Dear lord, he's never asked for permission for anything in his goddamn life from Sesshomaru but it feels almost weird to just leave. After everything.

After Dad.

"That's fine," Sesshomaru replies. He looks down at his desk and Inuyasha is pretty sure that that's it when suddenly, he looks up again. "You're expected back in February. Myoga is turning seventy so we'll be having a dinner."

Inuyasha frowns. "Myoga's birthday is in May."

"That's what he tells you because he doesn't want to bother you, coming back during school. By May your exams are done." Sesshomaru turns his attention to the phone for a moment and then scribbles something down. "If you were a brighter child, you would remember that his birthday was in July because he wanted the excuse to take you out for ice cream."

He remembers that. He remembers someone driving the two of them to the park and then they would spend the day, exploring the nearby city until it was almost dinnertime.

"February," Sesshomaru repeats and then presses the mute button on his phone just in time to say, "Jaken, you've completely failed to take into account our succession plan for 2020. Everything you've mentioned does not apply so please educate yourself before presenting me with our forwarding budget. Kagura, you're up next. The bar has been set rather low so try not to disappoint."

* * *

"When do you graduate again?" Sesshomaru asks later that evening, sitting on one side of the couch while Inuyasha takes up most of the space on the other. Both of them are occupied with things other than the television so the room is strangely quiet. Myoga was tired so he already went to bed; his shuffling no longer to be heard.

"April 2018."

"With honours?"

"Yeah."

Sesshomaru nods and goes back to whatever boring thing he was doing on his tablet. "Good."

"You're running Dad's company?"

"Yes."

"Well?"

"Obviously."

Inuyasha sneaks a look at his older half-brother from over his book. It's an old murder mystery but one of his favourites. The spine is practically torn apart from constant use. "Good."

For a moment, their brown eyes meet. It's only a quick look but it holds meaning all the same. Inuyasha goes back to reading his book and ignores the smirk that just so happens to be on his face.

* * *

The minute he steps into Corner House, Inuyasha feels two emotions back-to-back. The first is relief because the place is so familiar it actually comforts him a little. The second is mortified horror because–

"Jesus Christ, _not again_ ," Inuyasha yells, closing his eyes and wondering how damaging bleach to the eyeballs can be.

"Heeeyyyyy," Miroku says, drawing out the word like it'll distract Inuyasha from the fact that he's completely naked on the couch, on top of Sango. "So you're back early."

With his eyes still closed, Inuyasha tries to stumble down the hallway. He's not running away, it's just a tactical retreat.

"You were supposed to text me!" Miroku shouts, voice bouncing down the hallway. "This is your own fault!"

* * *

Twenty minutes later there's a pounding on his door. Inuyasha refuses to get up and open it. Serves the asshole right.

Miroku opens the door anyways and Inuyasha wonders vaguely why he doesn't just lock it. The concept of privacy is non-existent within these walls. "Well, I hope you're happy. You barging in apparently ruined the mood so now I have the _worst_ case of blue balls ever. I hate you."

"Good," Inuyasha replies. "I hate you too."

Miroku hesitates and then sighs. "Did you see Sango naked?"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha looks at his best friend. "With your fat ass on top of her – probably smothering her to death, by the way, the sounds she was making were most likely cries for help – I did not get that opportunity. But thanks."

Somewhat alarmed, Miroku takes a step forward, hand raised like he's going to reach out and touch him. "My god, you've become sassy."

"Have not." Inuyasha looks back down at his phone. He can't beat this one stupid level of WordBrain, it's infuriating.

"Your brother did this, didn't he?"

"Don't know what you're talking about."

"I've heard the two of you talk. He's full of sass and scorn."

"You don't even know what that means."

Miroku shakes his head sadly. "What have you become?"

* * *

Turns out, Miroku managed to get the house all by himself because the rest of the crew decided to go to McDonald's for lunch. The minute they realize Inuyasha is back, they slap him on the back a few times and then chirp the shit out of him because of the Mercedes in the driveway.

"Make sure to hide the keys," Naraku says. When everyone turns to look at him questioningly, the DJ simply points at Miroku.

What follows is a chorus of 'Ahhh' sounds with accompanying head nods. Miroku opens his mouth to defend himself but Inuyasha points a stern finger at him and he keeps it shut.

Leverage is how true friendships are forged.

* * *

 _Hey! Are you coming to Sango's New Year's Eve thing?_

Inuyasha holds his phone, staring at the message. It's Kagome – of course it's Kagome – and he's trying to figure out what to say. What should he say?

 _Ya_

He's got to add more than that. Sweet baby Jesus, this can't be that hard for people. Is this where people put happy faces? Like how someone texts LOL but in real life they're only frowning at the phone and not, in fact, laughing out loud?

He adds a smiley face. Better. Inuyasha hits send, rather proud.

It takes a couple of minutes and in that time Inuyasha wonders if he should ask a question or something, to keep the conversation going. Normally Kagome just keeps talking to him and he doesn't really have to _try_. It's a natural thing to her to keep a conversation flowing but maybe that skill doesn't apply to texting?

Oh god, what should he ask? What time it is? Maybe. That's not too weird, not too much of a stretch either. Miroku is unreliable at best for any information.

He's about to type when the '…' bubble appears. Inuyasha feels a weight fly off of his shoulders. Thank god.

 _Great!_

Inuyasha blinks and reads it again. _Great!_

Shit.

How does someone follow up on _that?!_

Grimacing, he's about to start a message about time or dress code or– Or whatever, but the universe must be smiling down at him because the bubble of dots appears again.

 _What kind of alcohol are you guys bringing? Sango and I are going to go shopping beforehand. We can grab chase._

That's a sensible question, probably. But to be honest, Inuyasha only half-listened when Miroku told them what their New Year's Eve plans were. He doesn't even know what they're doing and that kind of changes things. Beer is sometimes just way easier but if the point is getting smashed then hard liquor all the way. Probably rye or something.

Quickly, he texts Miroku. _Wut r we doing fr NYE again_

When he doesn't receive a response fast enough, Inuyasha gets up from his bed and goes to search for him. His best friend isn't in his bedroom so hopefully he's in the kitchen or the living room. He's pretty sure he's not out with Sango but there's no guarantee of that. Inuyasha nearly stumbles on the stairs – stupid goddamn things – and sighs in relief when he sees the blue-eyed asshole eating chips on the couch, laughing at Naraku trying to play Call of Duty against Hachi.

"Hey, Miroku! What are we doing for New Year's again with Sango?"

"What?" A few chips spew from his mouth as he says it. Fucking disgusting. How is this creature his best friend?

"New Year's Eve. _Plans_ ," he stresses.

Miroku nods, humming in understanding. "It's low-key. Drinks at her place and then we're going to Davis Park with a shit-ton of blankets to see the fireworks show."

"There's fireworks at the park?" That seems rather dangerous. There are a lot of trees at that park he's pretty sure. And don't trees catch fire? Can they catch fire in the winter?

"Fireworks are across the road at that parking lot for the township or whatever. People usually watch from there but the smart people watch from the park." He winks, as if proud he could be considered smart.

"Uh huh, great," Inuyasha mutters. Pre-drinking to prepare for the frozen outside later. Wonderful. Hard liquor for sure then. He texts as much to Kagome.

 _Miroku never told you the plans, huh?_

He guesses she knew that based on the amount of time it took him to respond. Still, maybe he was doing something important. He could be doing something important. Inuyasha rolls his eyes as Naraku shrieks a triumphant winner's chant. That in and of itself is the reason they rarely play with the guy. Fucking weird.

 _No but its Miroku_ , he replies. That explains everything. _U no its going to b cold as fuck, right?_

 _Well yeah, but fireworks_. She writes that as if fireworks make everything better. _Don't worry, prime time to cuddle_.

Inuyasha reads that last part again, and again, and again.

Maybe he's not as crazy as he thinks.

* * *

Slowly but surely, the boys of Corner House all return. Hakkaku and Ginta are the last because they live the furthest away and want to make their time at home count. So far, it's only the two of them still missing but Hachi and Miroku have been screaming at each other for the last half-hour playing Mario Kart. Inuyasha could hear it all the way up in his room.

He's hungry though. Is there even any food?

With a sigh, Inuyasha hopes someone in the house bought something edible. He'd pay them back later. Probably. Maybe.

There's another occupant in the kitchen. It's not Naraku.

"Hey," Kouga grumbles, head in his hands. A perfectly made sandwich sits beside him, cut in half, just ready for eating. He's not eating it though so something is terribly wrong.

Normally, Inuyasha wouldn't care. It's not something to care about and it's Kouga. _Kouga_. The superstar athlete who makes girls swoon everywhere he goes. The exact opposite of him with the stupid blue eyes and the stupid six-pack stomach and the stupid symmetrical face. They're not friends.

He stops though and stares at his roommate, who's completely ignoring his presence. And– And– And he's not feeling that irritation he normally feels looking at his stupid face.

This is strange.

When did it change?

Inuyasha ponders, standing there not moving in the kitchen. Well, Kouga did help him when that asshole jumped him. He got all defensive and punched him again, just because it was the thing you did. And he was there at the funeral. It was his idea. Someone said that, he's pretty sure.

"What's going on?" Inuyasha asks, only slightly mumbling. It's been quite a while since Kouga spoke. He hasn't even moved. Maybe he's sleeping?

Kouga looks up sharply, confused. "Oh, not much. I was going to eat but I'm not that hungry." He gestures towards his sandwich a little sadly.

"But your sandwiches are delicious," Inuyasha blurts out, rather aggressively.

There's a pause and then Kouga laughs. "You never even have them!"

"I did once," Inuyasha admits. "I may or may not have stolen it from the fridge."

"That was you?" his roommate exclaims. "Seriously? I yelled at Ginta for weeks!"

Inuyasha shrugs. "So why don't you want to eat it?"

There's a bit of a sigh but Kouga just shakes his head. "It's really not a big deal. Just stuff with my parents." He looks at him then, a bit oddly, like he's afraid Inuyasha's going to freak out. It takes a moment for Inuyasha to remember that his dad just passed away and Kouga's probably trying to avoid being a dick.

It doesn't bother him though and frankly, he could use a distraction. He sits down at the table across from him. "Like what?"

Kouga hesitates but eventually he answers. "So, my dad is really into the whole soccer thing. He's the one that took me to all of my games when I was kid and forced me to practice and yelled from the sidelines. I can't even tell you how many times he's been ejected from a game." He rolls his eyes, unimpressed. "He comes to all of these games too. Drives over an hour to watch. He can be a dick about it though, like when I don't have a good game or when the team loses and I can't step it up."

Inuyasha doesn't know anything about any of this. His father was literally the exact opposite. So far opposite, in fact, that Inuyasha never joined a sports team to begin with. That required a parent with a signature, which required the parent to be home.

"Our team has been losing a lot. It's not…great." Kouga winces. "He pretty much talked about it non-stop, which wouldn't be so bad because I know his heart's in the right place. And usually I would just hang around with Mom to avoid it, if I wanted to, but I let it slip I was dating someone and so…" He shrugs. "I kind of fucked myself over."

Inuyasha doesn't freeze, but it's a near thing. He's like ninety percent sure he's not dating Kagome. He can't be. The two of them haven't been together in forever that he knows about, but then again, Inuyasha's a bit famous for missing social things. "What did you tell her?"

"I just said Ayame's name and my mother perked up like a blood hound with a scent. It was terrible." Kouga groans and buries his face in his hands again. "She just asked so many questions."

Ayame. _Ayame_. Inuyasha is pretty sure he perks up too. Thank god Kouga's not looking. "Ayame's your girlfriend?"

It's a stupid enough question that Kouga stares at him, a little dumbfounded. "Who else would I be dating?"

Inuyasha tries not to but he makes a face and squirms a bit. This is why he doesn't talk to people. "I don't know." When the soccer athlete just continues to watch him, he ends up blurting the first thing that comes to mind. "It's not like we talk."

Kouga snorts. "Yeah and it's not from a lack of effort on my part," he says, a tiny bit snide. "I've never had a problem with you."

And the worst part is that Inuyasha doesn't really know _why_ he's never liked Kouga. It's just been a thing. There was probably something that happened during the first week Inuyasha moved into Corner House, but that was last year and Inuyasha barely remembers what he ate for breakfast. In fact, he's pretty sure he forgot _to eat_ breakfast which is a staple in the routine of daily nourishment.

Jesus Christ. He's squirming again.

"Yeah," Inuyasha mumbles. What does a person even say to that? "Uh. Sorry?"

Kouga shrugs, a small smile on his lips. "It's okay, Miroku told me you're as emotionally stunted as a rock. I didn't take it personally."

"That's probably a good thing," Inuyasha admits. "Sorry? Again?"

"Stop trying to do whatever that is," Kouga says, waving in his direction. He gets up then. "Here, I'll make you a sandwich. I know you're hungry."

"You don't have–"

"We just had our first normal conversation sober," Kouga interrupts loudly, "don't fucking ruin it, asshole."

Inuyasha closes his mouth and waits patiently while his roommate makes another sandwich. It only takes a moment but by now he's really starving and it looks so good. He's wanted a sandwich for _ages_.

"Enjoy," Kouga says with a flourish, placing the plate down in front of him. He sits back down and gets his own plate, biting into the sandwich. "Good?"

Inuyasha has already had three bites in the space of time it took Kouga to have one. The food is still packed in his mouth but he nods vigorously. "It's fucking delicious."

There's a sniffle, drawing both of their attentions towards the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Standing there is Miroku, leaning against the doorjamb and wiping away a fake tear. "This," he says, voice nearly trembling, "this is _growth_."

* * *

New Year's Eve is going to be a shitshow. Inuyasha doesn't need to have a crystal ball to know that. All he needs to do is take a look at the massive bag of alcohol Miroku and Kouga are preparing to bring. The two of them have been going around the kitchen, grabbing solo cups and different types of chase for different alcohol. There are even limes. _Limes_.

"Make sure the lovebirds are ready," Miroku calls over his shoulder to him. "They take forever to get ready and Sango will have my balls if we're late."

"She has them anyways," Inuyasha mutters and Kouga snorts, holds out a hand for a fist-bump which he returns.

Miroku looks all sad at them. "I think I preferred it when you didn't talk to each other."

"Suck it up, buttercup," Kouga replies. "Don't be sad."

There's another wounded look shot his way but Inuyasha ignores it and heads for the basement where Hakkaku and Ginta's rooms are. He doesn't bother knocking, just bursts into one of them and says, "You better be ready to go now."

Ginta lifts his head from his sprawl on the mattress, grimacing. "Now?"

Hakkaku – who is obviously in Ginta's room because the two of them are never separated ever – laughs. "Stop whining. Just because you haven't recovered from your Christmas Day alcohol binge–"

"Ugh, why remind me?" the other complains loudly. "I still remember how shit I felt the next morning. It was _terrible_."

"Your fault," Hakkaku reminds him. He looks at Inuyasha and salutes. "We'll be up soon."

Soon is a relative term. Inuyasha, Miroku and Kouga are standing at the front door waiting while the other two get their shit together. They suck at it, genuinely. He isn't even sure why he's surprised. This shit never gets old. It makes him feel slightly better, that his skills as an adult surpass some. It's the little things he can be proud of.

The walk over is fucking cold and Inuyasha hates every moment of it. Even Miroku's Snaps of Hakkaku and Ginta being domestic don't even entertain him as much. It's just fucking freezing. The fact that they are later going outside to sit on the ground and watch fireworks makes him want to turn right around.

When they finally get there, Inuyasha presses the intercom button so hard, it indents his relatively red fingers. Stupid goddamn winter. Sango doesn't even speak, but just lets them in with a click of the door. The five of them burst through, shaking off unwanted snowflakes and climbing the stairs to the girls' floor. The redheaded guy from Sango's birthday is standing there waiting for them, waving them in.

"Hey," he greets, holding out his hand. "Shippo, not sure if you remember."

He didn't. He doesn't pretend that he did either. "Uh huh," he says. "Is everyone here yet?"

"A few are still coming, I think. Miroku, did you bring the lemons?"

"Limes, bitch. Not lemons," Miroku corrects.

It all goes downhill from there.

Some of the people from Sango's birthday are here but the rest of the guests are completely unknown to him. Everyone is dressed casually rather than in skirts and dresses, probably because they're going to freeze their asses later. At least it's a rather intelligent bunch.

"You're here!" Kagome exclaims, bursting through his thoughts like a freight train. She heads towards him in tight jeans and a black t-shirt that hugs the curves of her body. Smiling like the goddamn sun, she gives him a little shove as she approaches. "How was the walk?"

Inuyasha shrugs. "Cold as fuck." He wants to say something more but he doesn't know what. Her dark eyes are watching him. Shouldn't he say something more now?

 _Like what?_

"Kagome, where's that punch you were supposed to be making like an hour ago?" Shippo yells. "I'm thirsty!"

"Oh stop complaining," Kagome replies, turning her attention away. "If you want it so bad why don't you make it yourself?"

"That will be the day!" a woman in front of the TV shouts.

"Come on," Shippo whines. "Don't gang up on me."

Kagome rolls her eyes with a fond smile in the redhead's direction and then leaves. Inuyasha suddenly hates Shippo. With Kouga no longer a nemesis, it figures another would step up soon after.

"Inuyasha, hey!"

Not used to being so popular, he spins around and sees yet another redhead, although he's pretty sure he likes this one more. Ayame is smiling at him, hand raised in a wave. "Hey," he says. He should ask how she is.

"Don't you dare," Kouga interrupts, wrapping his arms around Ayame's middle and pulling her close. "Use your emotionally stunted charm on someone else."

"What charm?" Miroku scoffs, holding a bowl of chips and heading towards the living room.

Inuyasha groans. "Fuck off."

"Start drinking!" Sango says loudly. She appears from out of nowhere with a bunch of beers in hand, tops already off. "Here, god, have something to start you off."

"It's like you want me to be drunk or something," Inuyasha says, raising a brow at her.

Sango grins. "It makes you boys more docile."

"Ah, easier to control."

"Exactly." She walks off to hand Hakkaku and Ginta a beer too. Inuyasha watches her, wondering why he can easily come up with something to say to her but Kagome is much more _difficult_. He's going to fix this.

He must.

Sauntering into the kitchen, Inuyasha is grossly unsurprised when the woman in question is surrounded by everyone in the damn room. There's Shippo and his girl, something that starts with a K he thinks, and there's that girl with the headband – wearing _another_ , what the fuck – and three other people. They're staring at the punch she's making like it's the holy fucking grail.

"So when's this tournament?" headband girl asks. Clearly he's interrupting some massive conversation because Kagome already looks exasperated.

"It's in February," she answers. "And yes, before you ask, you can come. I'm pretty sure it's free."

"Kagome getting her Katniss on," another girl coos.

"How original."

Inuyasha hovers but doesn't know what to do. He doesn't know anyone there _besides_ Kagome and trying to blend into the conversation is strictly impossible. It's frustrating, more than he wants to admit. This feeling is exactly the same as the Halloween party, when she was getting along with everyone and jumping from conversation to conversation when he could barely say a word. It makes his thoughts about her seem completely impossible. Thoughts about liking her.

Because there's no fucking way that a guy like him – and he's not a bad guy, but he's not social, hates people, would rather stick with his friends and stay indoors playing video games – could possibly make it work with a girl like her. It's not despair or whatever. It's fact.

She'd be crazy to be actually interested in him. It wouldn't lead to anything good and Inuyasha hasn't had a serious relationship before, but he's positive a fallout would fuck him up way more than her.

Maybe he won't talk to her after all.

It's a bit gross when he makes it back to the living room because Sango is on top of Miroku and Kouga and Ayame are cuddling. Freaking horrifying. "Please don't," he complains. "You have all of tonight to do that shit behind closed doors."

"YOLO," Miroku says before Sango claps her hand over his mouth.

"Never say that again."

Kouga snorts. "You say these things Sango, but you know he can't be tamed. I've never known Miroku to hold back. When we were initiating to join Corner House he talked so much shit constantly. The things that came out of his mouth–"

"Don't paint me in a bad light," Miroku retorts. "At least I didn't just glare at everyone who came near me." He sends his judgemental gaze to Inuyasha. "I'm talking about you, in case that went over your head."

Inuyasha gives him the middle finger, lets that do the talking for him. He takes a long swallow of beer, breathes and then takes another. If he's going to make it through this night, he needs to be far drunker.

"Finish that quick and I'll start making the real drinks," Kouga says, changing the conversation.

"Yeah, what time are we going outside?" Ayame asks. "I need to know so I can plan accordingly."

"To make sure you're not so drunk you can't walk to the park, but still drunk enough to really get into the spirit?" Sango asks drily.

Ayame grins and shrugs. Inuyasha remembers why he thinks she's kind of cool. A bit strange, but definitely entertaining.

"We're leaving here around twenty to," Sango finally explains. "Gives us time to walk there and then we can make sure we get a good spot."

"So we'll be out there for half an hour, at least." Miroku makes a face. "Can we bring booze with us?" He looks towards Kouga. "Did we bring any water bottles or shit like that?"

"We've got some," Sango replies instead. "Kagome and I planned ahead. _Kagome!_ "

Her roommate pokes her head out from the curtain blocking off the kitchen. "Yes?"

"Did you wash those bottles we bought?"

Kagome rolls her eyes but smiles. "Yes _mom_ , I did."

Finishing off the bottle of beer, Inuyasha holds it out to Kouga. Strictly a coincidence he felt compelled to drain the bottle the moment he saw Kagome. "Booze time, please."

"Ugh, hold on. Freaking alcoholic, you downed that so fast."

Miroku grins hugely. "That's just because he's good at swallowing." Which, of course, devolves the whole conversation into nothing more than 'that's what she said' jokes and sexual innuendo. Eventually, Kouga can't take it anymore and gets up, grabbing Inuyasha's beer bottle with a roll of his eyes. Ayame follows him, laughing hysterically.

With a free couch, there's no way he's going to continue standing up. He sits down and relaxes back, closing his eyes to Miroku's evil smile. He's not going to play that madman's game.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

Inuyasha opens his eyes to see a girl with dark eyes and black hair. She's tiny, but she's smiling and gesturing towards the spot beside him. "Uh, sure," he says.

"Thanks!" The woman sits down, takes a small sip of what looks like punch. "I'm Nazuna," she introduces, holding out a hand.

"Inuyasha," he replies slowly, as if testing out his name. Even slower, he shakes her hand. To be honest, he's a bit startled. He's pretty sure he's never met this girl before which means that there's no reason for her to talk to him. Unless she's the friendly type.

"Nice to meet you. How do you know Sango and Kagome?"

So the friendly type then. Great. How does this happen to him? Inuyasha tries not to be irritated while gesturing towards Miroku and Sango on the other, smaller couch. They're having a conversation about something but he can't hear a word of it, drowned out by all the talking in such a small place. "He's my roommate."

"Oh, that's cool. Sango talks about him a lot. Miroku, right?" Nazuna says. She's smiling and nodding, practically encouraging him to talk.

This is weird. He doesn't want to talk. _Why must the world do this to him_? "Yeah."

But Nazuna doesn't seem put off at all by the fact he's not much of a talker. She just eyes him and shrugs, taking another sip of her drink. The minute she swallows she's got another question lined up, ready to go. "What major are you?"

"Political science," he answers, trying not to sigh. This is the part where he asks her in turn. It would be rude not to. Inuyasha glances at Miroku and Sango, still focused perfectly on each other with whatever they're discussing. Kouga and Ayame aren't back. Kagome is nowhere to be seen. Well, fuck it then. Nazuna seems nice so he may as well talk. It's not like anyone else is distracting him at the moment. It'll be like…practice, or something. "What about you?"

"Kinesiology, same as Sango." Nazuna smiles again, like this is all something to be happy about. Why is she so happy? "We've been in a bunch of the same classes. That's how we know each other. You're second year then?"

"Third," Inuyasha replies. "Same as Miroku. The two of them met at a party." He shrugs. "The usual."

Nazuna laughs suddenly and it's distracting. She looks so young when she does that. "That's so not how Sango tells it."

"I don't even know if I _want_ to know how she tells it." The original get together wasn't exactly smooth. Miroku was borderline creepy and vaguely stalker-ish at the Corner House parties. It wasn't until he got the balls to talk to her that things became normal again. "Does it involve a lot of drinking?"

"Tons," Nazuna confirms.

Kouga makes an appearance then, handing him a drink that reeks of rye. "Holy shit, how much did you put in?" Inuyasha asks, somewhat horrified. "Am I going to taste any coke?"

"Probably not," Ayame responds. "There was a bit of an accident."

"Well, you're holding my hair back when I fucking puke later," Inuyasha grumbles. He takes a sip and yeah, it's like there's no fucking coke in it at all, but he downs it all the same.

After that, it's just constant talking. Inuyasha isn't doing a lot of it, letting Kouga, Ayame and Nazuna pick up the slack. Miroku and Sango occasionally join in but for some reason Sango's staring at him funny. Miroku is sighing a lot too, if his exasperated expression means anything. Maybe the two of them are fighting. Whatever. Not his circus, not his fucking monkeys.

"As you requested," Hakkaku says, handing over another drink. He's incredibly drunk just like Ginta wobbling beside him. "And yes, there's coke in it."

"Thank god," Inuyasha says, glaring at Kouga. "He makes shit drinks."

"He makes amazing drinks!" Ayame counters, smacking him on the arm. "Got you tipsy, didn't it?"

"Hey, if you wanted to get tipsy all you needed to do was have some of the punch," Nazuna explains. Her hand is on his forearm for some reason and she's grinning at him. Huh, so she's the really friendly touchy-feely type. "That shit will knock you off your ass."

"And how many have you had?" Kouga asks.

Nazuna starts counting on her fingers and then eventually just laughs. The black-haired woman clearly has no fucking idea.

Inuyasha suddenly feels hands on his shoulders but he's loose and relaxed enough to not even care. He turns slowly and is immediately pleased when he sees Kagome there. "It's you." Fucking brilliant start to the conversation. _Brilliant_.

"There you are," Kagome says. She's got a funny look on her face but that's probably because he's looking at her funny. What she said was really confusing because he's been sitting on the couch forever. It's been at least an hour. He hasn't moved. Kagome is the one that's disappeared. "Sorry," she says, looking chastised. "Yeah I've been trying to host. I'm pretty bad at it."

Oh. He said that out loud.

Shit.

"Do you want anything to eat?" she asks then. "We've got snacks in the kitchen."

That sounds like a fucking great idea. He could definitely have some chips. Fucking delicious. "Sure," he says, getting up. The blood rushes to his head and holy shit, the ground is not stable. How much has he had to drink?

A lot. The answer is a lot.

"You good?" Nazuna asks, grabbing onto him.

He shakes his head. No, that's not right. He nods. Good. Better. "Yeah, I'm good." He manages to avoid stepping on Ayame and Kouga who are both sprawled on the ground. That's a victory right there. Kagome is standing beside him now, grabbing his wrist and all but dragging him to the kitchen. He's not complaining at all, especially when he sees that Miroku and Sango are both there. Grabbing a bowl of chips, he carries it with him while Kagome maneuvers them to their friends.

"How drunk are you?" Miroku asks.

"How drunk are _you_ ," Inuyasha counters, mock seriously. He's good at doing serious because it's easy for him not to smile. If Inuyasha thinks about it, he wonders if that's something Sesshomaru taught him. Hm.

"Getting there," his best friend answers.

"What about you?" Inuyasha asks Kagome. She's having some of her punch along with Sango. How much punch did she make?

Kagome shrugs. "It's hard when you're hosting. I don't know how you guys do it."

"Firstly, we don't call it _hosting_ ," Miroku responds. "We just provide a place and a theme. That's it. Everyone does shit on their own."

"Probably our mistake," Sango admits.

"No better time than to start now. Inuyasha? What are you doing?"

Ignoring his best friend, Inuyasha finally manages to pull up his text messages. _Fuck Face_ is still there on the list. _Dd u teach me to not laugh?_

There. He'll have an answer soon.

He looks up and sees Sango's frowning face, staring just over his shoulder. Inuyasha turns and sees Nazuna, filling up her cup with more punch. She saunters over and grabs some chips.

"What number of punch is that?" Inuyasha asks automatically, thinking back to the last point of conversation.

Nazuna rolls her eyes and nudges him. "It's not like you're any better."

"We should all just drink more," Kagome announces. It startling enough that Inuyasha watches her down her glass before moving to the other side of the counter. "Sango? How about some shots? At least two, right now. Yeah?"

Sango nods, finishes her glass and then hands it over to Kagome.

Miroku sighs. "Inuyasha, where's Kouga?"

"Living room?" It's stated like a question because he's not actually sure. If the soccer athlete was smart, he and Ayame took the couch when Inuyasha left.

"Cool. He hid the alcohol so we have to find him to get the rest." Letting go of Sango, his best friend lightly pushes at him until Inuyasha's stumbling towards that area. Nothing about it is graceful and it's actually really goddamn annoying.

"Stop, the hell?" Inuyasha asks. Thank god he put his drink down on the counter or that shit would be all over the carpet.

Miroku doesn't say anything, just grabs his wrist like Kagome did earlier and bodily drags him down the hall.

"This isn't where the living room is, you loser–"

"My god, I never thought I'd say this to you but _stop talking_ ," Miroku hisses. He pushes open a door – the bathroom, he thinks, though it's not the main one he remembers – and pulls them both into it. "Inuyasha, what the hell?"

He blinks, once, twice. Okay. _What_?

Miroku isn't saying anything more to help him out though so Inuyasha goes for broke. "Is this about me drinking a lot because it's all fucking Kouga's fault. He made–"

"I don't care about that!" his best friend exclaims. "What are you doing about Kagome?"

"Kagome?"

"Yes, _Kagome_."

Now, he's really fucking lost. He opens his mouth to say as much but Miroku makes this incredibly irritated sound, hands flailing upwards. Maybe not saying anything is for the best then. He closes his mouth.

"What are you doing with that other chick?" Miroku asks then, clearly impatient.

Inuyasha frowns. "What other–"

"Nazuna!"

Oh. The frown on his face doesn't disappear. "I'm not doing anything?"

"You can't tell me you didn't recognize the fact that she's flirting with you like crazy!" Miroku exclaims. "She's touching you constantly."

"Isn't she just that type of person? Aren't there people like that?" Inuyasha isn't like that at all so he wouldn't know. But he assumes.

Sighing, Miroku pinches the bridge of his nose. "I'm going to get so drunk after this. Inuyasha. Inuyasha, my best friend, you don't know women at all. Fine. You're oblivious and horribly drunk."

Inuyasha just nods. Keeps his mouth shut.

"Okay, you told me once that you like Kagome. Right?"

More nodding.

"And you still like her?"

Inuyasha grimaces a little because yeah. But he's not supposed to but it's hard because Kagome's single and she's attractive. She has that smile like the goddamn sun and is always so nice. "Yeah I do but–"

"No buts!"

" _But_ ," Inuyasha continues. "I don't know if that would be…good. I like her but she's…" He flails a bit, hoping his best friend will understand. "I'm not like that. Tonight is a prime example."

"Of what?" Miroku challenges.

Shrugging, Inuyasha desperately wants his alcohol back. This is too much conversation and feelings for his taste. "She was all busy and I didn't–" He sighs explosively because he can't explain this, not at all. He's not making it up though, the fact that in the very beginning he couldn't have gotten close. Kagome is meant to talk to people and be outgoing and shit. Inuyasha is very much the opposite. That shit doesn't work.

"You have to talk to me man," Miroku presses. "I can't help if I don't know."

"I don't need help," Inuyasha replies, getting angry. "What the fuck? Why are you so uptight about this?"

Miroku clenches his jaw, looks up at the ceiling.

"Look, Kagome is perfect, right?" Inuyasha spits, unable to stop. "She's fucking perfect. Popular and pretty and gets along with everyone. But perfect like that isn't a _thing_. Adding me into the equation is going to take all that shit away. She's fucking crazy if she thinks that's not true."

"So let me get this straight," Miroku huffs. "You think Kagome is crazy because she can't be as perfect as she seems. _You_ think _she's_ crazy. How can you–" He breaks off, irritated. "Good god, Sango is going to murder me but I've got to tell you something."

Inuyasha is already shaking his head, dismissing him with a hand wave. "No, Christ, this is way too much chick-talk for the level of drunk I am."

"I'm saying–"

Both of them jump when there's a loud knock on the door, Sango's voice floating through. "Come on, you two. We're going to leave soon so get your drinks ready."

Thank god. Inuyasha grabs the door handle before Miroku can stop him and gets out, catching up with Sango. She looks at him with a raised brow, judgemental. "Please tell me he still has clothes on."

"Don't get your hopes up," Inuyasha replies, lying just to see her reaction.

Kagome is waiting for them at the end of the hall, finishing yet another drink. She grins at Sango and pulls her in for a hug the moment they get near. "All good?" They must have done a couple shots and drank more of that potent punch. There's a flush on her cheeks now, making her normally pale skin rosy. It's cute.

Inuyasha barely stops himself from slapping his own face. It's _not_ cute.

Sango laughs. "You should stop drinking the punch."

"I make great punch."

"Can I fill up the bottle with it?" Inuyasha asks, making Kagome look at him instead. "I haven't had it yet."

He just genuinely wants to try it since everyone else has had it, but the smile that Kagome beams his way distracts him. Holy shit, if he knew it'd make her that happy, he would have asked earlier.

"I think you've had enough, but sure," Kagome says. "Come on." Her hand is wrapped around his wrist again but he's prepared for her dragging him back through their apartment. He watches as she fills two bottles up, handing them to him. "I'll get the blankets."

"Smart," he replies.

Everyone is starting to layer up with coats and hats and gloves. A bunch of people brought blankets but Sango and Kagome have a bunch already stacked up by the front door. They make their way out, most of their party stumbling down the stairs and out the doors of the apartment building. Hakkaku and Ginta are holding each other up but they wave when Inuyasha nears, drinks and a blanket in hand.

"Heard you were really drunk," Ginta says, grinning.

"Yeah, I came here to get drunk, not to play goddamn Monopoly," Inuyasha responds. "Fuck off."

Hakkaku snorts but then yelps when Kouga attacks him, sending the two over into the snowbank. Ginta cries out because of the cold while the soccer star laughs.

"I have the weirdest roommates," Inuyasha mumbles to himself.

"Yeah but you should have known that long before now." Kagome wraps her arm around his, holding another blanket. "Got the drinks?"

"Got the drinks," Inuyasha replies. "Where's Miroku?"

"With Sango somewhere. She was giving him shit about something." Kagome giggles then, shaking her head. "I thinks he gets off on it."

"He probably gets off on being told off." Inuyasha waits as the crowd of students starts to head towards the park. He has no idea where it is in relation to the apartment but he's been told by multiple sources that it's close. Considering how cold it is outside, he really freaking hopes so.

Kagome is quiet now at his side, happily watching everyone joke around them. Kouga, Hakkaku and Ginta are still trying to get at one another, Ayame speaking with some other guy for the walk. Inuyasha thinks to himself that before he wanted to talk to Kagome and he didn't because she was surrounded by people. Now, she's the only one beside him and he can't think of anything to say.

"Did you have fun?" he asks, the very first thing he could think of.

She stares at him with those big brown eyes, a bit hazy with alcohol. "Yeah. We don't really host parties often. It's a lot of work but it was fun. I need to–" She pauses and then shrugs, apparently going for it. "I need to relax more. I should have done less for everyone else and more for me."

He nods, even though he doesn't know enough about her to label that as true. Kagome always just seems like she's having a good time, regardless of who she's with.

"How drunk are you?" she asks, mimicking Miroku's earlier question. It isn't laced with judgement though so he shrugs.

"Pretty drunk. Kouga makes really strong drinks and I drank them quickly."

Nodding, Kagome holds onto him tighter. "Those shots went straight to my head after like ten minutes. I had a lot of punch too. My punch is bomb."

Inuyasha can't help it; he chuckles, tilting his head back to face the night sky. He doesn't laugh for long but it's enough that he can tell Kagome is staring at him intently, pleased. Obviously, he is far drunker than he thought. Which is saying something.

He may be in trouble.

Davis Park is incredibly large, hosting several soccer fields and a playground on the far side. There a quite a few other people there but considering the size of place, there's tons of room to find a spot. Sango seems to already have the spot chosen because she makes a beeline for a place close to a tree, bundled at the base for the winter. Miroku is close beside her, arm wrapped around her middle. Even possibly fighting they are disgustingly in love.

Kagome sticks close to her roommate, making sure Inuyasha comes along by keeping her arm securely tucked with his. She helps Sango lay out the blankets and eventually Inuyasha figures he can help, despite Miroku glaring at him. Those blue eyes are narrowed. It's not fair because frankly, if anyone should be mad, it should be Inuyasha. He's the one that was dragged into the bathroom against his will to talk about _feelings_.

The four of them sit down and while others tried to stick close, Sango is sure to wrap and cocoon just the four of them in the blankets she and Kagome brought. Nazuna walks by with a smile in his direction but she sits down with other friends and Inuyasha doesn't feel sorry about that at all.

"Punch time," Kagome announces, pulling out one of the bottles. She's sitting in the middle, with Sango beside her. Both he and Miroku are on the outside which he thinks is strategically not a good idea but that's probably what the girls were going for. They pass around the punch and then Kagome takes out her phone, feebly swiping at it and waiting as the phone catches up in the cold. She takes a couple photos with Sango and then yells at Inuyasha and Miroku until they squish in, the four of them nothing more than blankets and red faces and smiles laced with drunkenness.

They pass the punch around some more. It's finished pretty quickly. Thank god there's a second bottle.

"It's almost time!" someone yells out. Pretty soon, their group of people are counting down, starting at twenty and dwindling. There are phones out everywhere, flashes from photos.

Sango smiles at him. "Ten, nine–"

Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two.

One.

"Happy New Year!"

When the fireworks start up, the black sky explodes with colour and light. And yeah, Inuyasha thinks, this was a good fucking idea. Because he's freezing his ass off and probably drunker than he should be, but he pressed up against Kagome and with his best friends. Kouga and Ayame are just in front of them, making out, and close beside them is Hakkaku and Ginta who are obviously cuddling for warmth.

Before he can do anything, there's a hand on his chin. It's a foreign feelings that's also vaguely familiar, but it's Kagome that's grabbing him and tilting his head down, kissing his cheek. Her nose is ridiculously cold. By the time he's able to look fully at her, the black-haired woman is looking back towards the sky, seemingly mesmerized.

The fireworks keep going, relentless in celebration: _boom, boom, boom_. Inuyasha watches the show, eyes darting between one display and the next while Sango is recording it on her phone. There's a brief pause and it's enough time that Inuyasha turns his head to look at Miroku, who is staring right back. It's probably a testament to their friendship that they can do shit like this.

His best friend grins at him, looks at Sango and shrugs. Inuyasha has absolutely zero idea what that means, but he nods like he gets it anyways. They're best friends, the year 2016 is finally fucking over and he's outside in the freezing ass cold enjoying fireworks.

"Warm enough?" Kagome asks, voice close but barely heard over the explosions. She's looking up at him with those big, brown eyes and in that moment, Inuyasha feels more than just content. He's happy.

"Yeah, I'm good."

* * *

 **Next Time on** _ **Tell Me I'm Crazy**_ _ **:**_ Inuyasha stares up at the ceiling. He's pretty sure that on a scale from one to ten, he's about a seven in terms of… Feelings. For Kagome. He fucking knew 2017 was going to be a year filled with troublesome goddamn shit.

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Sammy 22:_ Well thank you so much! That's so sweet of you to say. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

 _ThatGirl:_ Why thank you :D

 _Love love love:_ Oh, what is Higher Education? Another fic? That's cool! But I'm so glad you're liking the story. It means a lot. Thank you!

 _Fuzzywazam:_ Why thank you so much love! I really appreciate that. I hope you liked this chapter too :)

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** When I wrote this story, Sesshomaru wasn't supposed to be in it. But I love writing his character, even though he's definitely OOC from the anime. But. But. He's a fucking gem. Expect more of him in future.

 **Your reviews have been incredibly kind. You're all so wonderful. I adore you all. Happy New Year and all the best in 2017!**

 **Feedback, as always, is love.**


	8. Part VIII

**Author's Note:** My husband whisked me away on a surprise vacation which was great for me but not so great for you, since I couldn't update. I planned to update the day the news was dropped so instead of posting I was running around trying to find a pet-sitter and buying new sunglasses and on and on and on.

But I saw the sun for the first time in fucking weeks. It was _beautiful_.

 **Warning:** Spoilers for Episode 1 of _Game of Thrones_ and vague spoilers for Episode 5. Or 6. I can't even remember now.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part VIII**

* * *

He wakes up, decidedly, not good at all.

Inuyasha feels the fuzziness of his headache before he fully gains consciousness. He's lying in bed – he's like 90% sure it's his bed – and there's too much light because he fucking forgot to close the curtains. Again.

He should just sew the damn things shut. But that would require the skill of sewing.

Alas.

It's embarrassing really, how long it takes him to realize there's an arm stretched out over his chest. Inuyasha is in the middle of scratching said chest when he hits something, and from there he recognizes the weight of another person's arm.

Inuyasha keeps his eyes closed because he doesn't remember this. He was pretty drunk last night after they all returned to Sango and Kagome's place, but he doesn't remember picking up. He mostly hung out with Miroku and the girls. Kouga and Ayame disappeared more or less right after midnight and he's not going to guess why.

It's kind of obvious.

Fuck, his thoughts are running away from him. He should just turn his head and find out. Maybe look down and stare at the arm. Would that help? Can you identify someone from their arm? Crime scene investigators figure it out sometimes like that?

Tattoos though. Fingerprints. Right.

Inuyasha needs to open his eyes. What if it's Kagome?

Fuck.

Fuck.

And then he thinks about it a little more because Kagome was really nice but honestly, that would be wishful thinking. For a girl that's incredibly outgoing, Inuyasha's pretty positive that if she was interested, he would damn well know. It would be obvious, like a neon sign. So, definitely not Kagome.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no.

What was that girl's name? Shit, fuck, he's so bad with names. _N… Ni– Na–_

 _Nazuna_. Right, that, yes. Shit. Fuck. Miroku said she was flirting with him right? And he consumed a lot of alcohol. He would've been smarter with Kagome but someone else? Inuyasha's not a bad guy but the number of times he's only casually remembered a lay's name is frankly embarrassing. And then when they see him on campus–

Now he's fucking paralyzed with fear, fan-fucking-tastic. Is there a way he can just escape his own bedroom? Run away? He's got the Mercedes now. He can drive home. Myoga will know what to do. That old man always knows. Ah, fuck no he can't do that. The old man will just give him big, sad, disappointed eyes and tell him about how immature and irresponsible he's being and surely she's a nice girl and who raised him anyways? It's all about respect. He obviously lost the ability to do that somewhere down the line and Myoga would feel like he personally failed, right, and that can't be allowed. The old man's already been through so much and–

Okay. Pause. Breathe. Time to nut up. Inuyasha squeezes his eyes shut tighter and counts down from three, two, one... He turns his head swiftly and opens his eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Inuyasha yells, voice hoarse with alcohol abuse. " _Seriously_?"

His bedmate nearly flies off of the covers, high-pitched shriek echoing from his throat.

Yeah, _his_.

"What the shit, Inuyasha?" Miroku demands, whining and curling up into a ball on the bed, head firmly held in his hands. "Ow, my god, kill me please. Water."

"Why are you not wearing pants?" Inuyasha asks right back, and that's not desperation in his voice, it's fucking _not_.

"Huh?" Miroku looks up blearily, narrowed eyes staring at Inuyasha for a moment before looking down. "I'm wearing boxers. Where's your shirt?"

Inuyasha blinks. Well. "I don't wear a shirt when I sleep."

"I don't wear pants," Miroku says. "Guh, water. Get it."

"Fuck off," Inuyasha grumbles. But now that he thinks about it, he really needs to piss. Really bad. Fine. He'll go then. It's maybe the slowest progression out of bed that a human being has ever took, but Inuyasha is fine with that title. Eventually, he stumbles onto his feet, nearly kills himself by standing on an empty plastic water bottle, which crackles loud enough to make him jump and Miroku huff angrily. "Why?" Inuyasha whines under his breath, blearily staring at four different empty bottles of water. At least they were kind of smart last night.

There's even a bottle of ibuprofen on the nightstand. Miracles happen.

Inuyasha continues his journey to the bathroom, completely avoiding looking in the mirror. He can't keep his eyes open. Sweet baby Jesus he wants to go back to sleep. Washing his hands is more wetting-them-kind-of before he walks into– Nope, that door has fucking moved, it came out of nowhere.

Groaning, he bullies his way past the doorframe and goes down the stairs like a small child. The kitchen is his only focus and when the room-temperature water bottles are in his hands, Inuyasha nearly runs back upstairs. Vaguely, he prays that no one is awake to see him like this. Knowing his luck, Hachi has videotaped the whole thing.

His bed is blissfully empty when he comes back. Miroku must have gone to his own room so fuck him, he can get his own water. Inuyasha isn't bringing it to him. It's bad enough he has to take an extra four steps to get to the window and properly shut the blinds. He _has_ to remember to close those damn things. _Every time_.

Opening the water bottle is a billion times harder than it should be but Inuyasha accomplishes it with minimal amounts of spilling. He greedily takes a couple gulps and swallows two pills before lying back down, rejoicing. He can sleep now. All of his pain has led to this moment of bliss, where he can simply relax in his hung over state, sleeping the day away. There are no obligations. There is nothing that is going to ruin the preciousness of–

"Thank fuck," Miroku groans, bursting back into Inuyasha's room. He grabs the other water bottle and opens it. Inuyasha can only look up at him in horror. His best friend, satisfied with a couple of sips, stares at him confused. "What?"

"Why are you here?" Inuyasha asks and he's not whining, _he is not_.

"Because," Miroku says, throat making his voice raspy. He brings his water bottle to the other side of bed and slides back in, cocooning himself in the covers. "If we're going to suffer, we may as well suffer together."

"Go suffer in your own bed," Inuyasha retorts, and yeah, that was definitely a whine. He's not even going to try anymore. He rolls over, glaring at his friend to no avail since Miroku has his back turned. "You slept here all night. Wasn't that enough?"

There's a massive groan and then Miroku flops over dramatically, his hand instantly smooshing right the fuck into his face. His big, gross, sweaty hand is on his mouth and Inuyasha didn't feel like puking before but for the love of god–

"Shhhhh," Miroku whispers. He lifts his hand and lowers it a couple times, as if petting him aggressively on the face is the best course of action. "Go to sleep."

And the thing is that Inuyasha is _tired_. He's hung over and not a single part of this morning has been great for him. So whatever. If Miroku wants to stay in his bed, it's fine.

His best friend eventually lifts his hand but it only rolls a bit and falls back onto Inuyasha's chest. He's warm though and Inuyasha's kind of cold, so he lets it be.

Everything will be better once he gets some more sleep.

* * *

Miroku is mostly buried in the blankets and on his phone when Inuyasha wakes up. It's not surprising at this point.

"What time is it?" Inuyasha asks, grimacing at the sound of his voice. Christ.

Blue eyes turn to him sympathetically. "Eleven-thirty. I only woke up about twenty minutes ago. Feel okay?"

It's a bit of a shock, but he does actually feel okay. The ibuprofen helped a lot and the extra water didn't hurt. Inuyasha rolls a bit to get the bottle, uncapping it and taking small sips. It's a bit of an art, doing so while lying down, but his time at Corner House has not been for nothing. "This morning was terrible."

"I thought I was going to pass out in the bathtub," Miroku adds, nodding. "Your bed is a lot comfier."

" _My_ bed." Inuyasha wants to make a comment about the fact that Miroku's still here but he knows it will only fall on deaf ears. The two of them lie there in silence, Inuyasha staring at the ceiling while Miroku continues to look at Instagram on his phone. Inuyasha thinks yet again how much better he feels. Sleep is a fucking wonder for curing hangovers. At least the next Corner House party isn't until Valentine's Day. His drinking can be slightly more limited. He should probably try a little bit harder this semester than last. He kind of fell off the wagon at the end there, skipping more classes than he should have.

His stomach grumbles. Inuyasha frowns, thinks about it. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," Miroku replies. "But at the same time I'm pretty sure the sight and smell of food is going to make me vomit everywhere."

Same. Inuyasha sighs, continues to stare up at the white, boring ceiling.

"Want to raid the cupboard for crackers or something and then binge watch _Game of Thrones_? I haven't seen it yet and I know for a fact you haven't either," Miroku says, turning his phone screen off and putting it down on the duvet.

"Your laptop is better than mine."

"I'll get it while you get the crackers."

"Deal."

* * *

"They're screwing."

Inuyasha looks over at Miroku, incredibly confused. "Who?"

"Those two. The blonde ones." He points at the screen. "They have to be."

"They could be talking about anything," Inuyasha replies. "And they're brother and sister, you fucking perv."

Miroku grabs another cracker and chews it as loudly as possible. "Nope. I'm pretty sure."

"Have you seen this episode? Read the spoilers?" On screen, there's some kid running around. He's already so confused by the million characters the show has shown so far.

"Nope. But I'm still sure."

"Fucking weirdo," Inuyasha mumbles, biting into a cracker of his own.

* * *

The brother and sister. They are screwing.

Miroku is grinning at him, wide and evil as all hell. He looks like the cat that got the canary, unyielding with those blue, blue eyes that probably melt Sango's heart.

"Fucking perv, huh?" his best friend asks.

"Shut up."

* * *

"Should we stop watching after this episode to do something other than lie in bed?" Inuyasha asks. He's drinking from yet another water bottle, eyes glued to the laptop screen as they watch episode four. Or five.

…Five.

To be fair, they are mostly fiddling with their phones while keeping half-an-eye on the show. It's a bit too complicated to be doing even that, but his attention can only be held for so long. Miroku has been texting back and forth with Sango for the last hour. The empty plastic shell that once held their crackers lies between them.

"Nah. That requires energy," Miroku replies.

There is nothing but the sound of some girl's persistent damn questions. She needs to be a bit more outspoken, given that everything is bound to go to shit sooner rather than later.

"What kind of name is Littlefinger?" Inuyasha asks. "Like I would be really fucking annoyed."

Miroku nods. The silence continues. Another person dies. By now, Inuyasha's pretty sure he's numb to it all.

"We should play Mario Kart tonight. Reunite Peach and Mario for the sake of love."

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha looks over at his friend. "Seriously?"

"True. Love."

Another person dies. Shit is definitely hitting the fan now. Jesus Christ, does anyone on this show live at all?

Miroku grimaces at a particular stabbing and then checks his phone momentarily. Inuyasha doesn't pay attention really, unhealthily obsessed with what's happening. This show is terrifying and traumatizing but he _can't stop_.

"Oh and by the way," Miroku says suddenly, cutting through the sheer bloody violence on the laptop screen with his casual, cheerful voice. "We're tobogganing tomorrow."

It takes a second to process. Inuyasha's not proud. " _What?_ "

Miroku doesn't even look at him, just makes a horrified squeal when a spear is thrust through the one guy's leg. _Jesus Christ, this show_. "And you're driving."

"When this finishes, we are having words," Inuyasha hisses.

* * *

They don't have words. Miroku is too good at deflecting him.

Damn him.

* * *

The regret is strong within him.

"I hate you," Inuyasha grumbles, glaring at the air vents in his car. As if it's their fault the air is still coming out cold. It's freezing out and the engine is barely warm. And yet. _And yet_ , they are still driving over to Sango's place to pick up the girls.

"Kagome is going to be there. Shippo and Koume too."

"Fuck off."

Miroku rolls his eyes. "My god, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

There wasn't even coffee at Corner House. Not a single bean. Inuyasha is desperate to pull over for coffee but Miroku was adamant that they couldn't be late. Used for his car and now whipped like a damn mule. Inuyasha is pretty sure he's the dumb one in their friendship. He doesn't say anything more and Miroku thankfully has shut up.

They pull up to the girls' apartment building, idling so that the car can continue to get warm. Miroku grins as his phone goes off so Sango and Kagome are probably coming down. Thank god. He can get coffee after. He's not hung over still but his body hates him regardless.

Like a complete dork, Miroku waves out the window when he spots his girlfriend. Inuyasha scoffs.

"You're just jealous," Miroku replies in singsong, flashing him a bright smile. "I get laid and you do not."

"Whoa, so mature," Inuyasha retorts, resting his head on the steering wheel. If the girls take long enough, he could catch a three minute nap.

"Good morning!" Sango cheers the moment she opens the door. "Can you pop the trunk for the mats?"

Inuyasha makes a face that thankfully no one can see before pressing the little button to do as he's told. It takes a couple minutes but as grumpy as he is, it's nearly impossible not to get swept up in the chatter once Sango and Kagome are finally seated inside. Kagome is talking about this hill like it's a wonder of the world, and Sango, for her part, talks about the utter shenanigans they could get up to. Apparently there's a side for families that does nothing more but go into a clearing. Then there's the part that's fenced off.

"Just don't hit a tree," Miroku states, like it's as easy as breathing.

Inuyasha can't help it; he snorts and shakes his head, annoyed at himself for how fond he feels. "I'll be sure to remind you of that when you've crashed and burned."

Shippo and Koume are already at the hill when they arrive, a saucer-looking dish and a rolled up mat by their feet. "Hey guys!" he says, waving. "About time you made it."

"Inuyasha's a slow driver," Miroku chirps.

Flipping his best friend off is all the response he needs.

"Come on, let's get moving before my hands fall off," Koume urges but Sango just laughs and asks Inuyasha to open the trunk again. Between the six of them they have five sleds. Three of them are single-rider mats, one a double-rider mat, and that strange saucer Shippo's now holding. They go into the clearing a bit and then trudge up the hill. There are a few other families scattered around, mostly with small children. A teenage couple are sledding on the far side but the hill is so large there's tons of room for them all. They don't even bother with the forbidden, fenced off area.

"Sango and I are riding down first," Miroku announces, grabbing the two-person sled. "See you losers at the bottom!"

"Sounds like a challenge," Kagome quips, getting her own and sitting on it in a rush. She's got the mat upside down so she's sitting on the slippery part. Miroku and Sango rush to beat her but end up yelling at each other for taking too long instead.

"Bye!" Shippo yells, literally running before jumping on his saucer, landing on his ass as he speeds down the hill. His whoops are loud and clear, and Kagome laughs as she follows after him. Miroku and Sango finally – _finally_ – manage to push off, riding down with increasing speed.

Shippo's already at the bottom, waving up at them.

"It's freaking cold," Koume comments lightly, rubbing her gloved hands together.

Inuyasha nods. It was one of his many complaints this morning when Miroku had to drag his ass out of bed.

"I'm not about this life," she goes on, suddenly flashing a grin at him. "Don't tell Shippo that. He thinks I'm adventurous still."

"Aren't you?" Inuyasha's frankly surprised the question comes out of his mouth. He doesn't know Koume at all.

"Only in bed." Koume actually bursts out laughing the second she says it and Inuyasha's too alarmed to do more than stare. This– _This_ is why conversations elude him. Where the fuck did that come from? Koume must sense his discomfort because she shrugs somewhat apologetically and then bends down to grab the remaining two sleds. "Race you?"

It's a peace offering, kind of, so Inuyasha takes the blue one and nods. "On three."

Koume wins but that's only because Miroku tackles him partway down the hill, knocking him off and forcing them both into the snow. Inuyasha's jeans are going to be soaked by the end of this. As he viciously shoves snow into his best friend's face, he realizes he doesn't much mind.

There's a lot of sledding and a lot of Miroku being a complete shit by getting in their way or knocking them off. The girls are trying to link arms and go down together but Miroku is shoving Kagome hard enough that the plan's already failing.

"Want to get back at him?" Shippo asks suddenly, bursting into Inuyasha's space with a childish smile.

Smirking, Inuyasha listens as Sango threatens castration to her boyfriend. "I'm open to ideas."

It's ingenious really, the way that Shippo tricks Miroku. He's far more trustworthy than Inuyasha so their blue-eyed friend doesn't realize he's being screwed with until he's shoved onto the saucer and already speeding down the hill backwards. Inuyasha takes the load of snowballs in his arms and pelts Miroku in the face and neck with them from the halfway point, making him flail and fall off, rolling spectacularly the rest of the way down.

It's beautiful.

"Fucking right," Inuyasha cheers to a grinning Shippo, holding out a fist. The redhead bumps it, smile getting impossibly wider.

"Think it was good the first time?" Kagome asks, sidling up to them. "Watch it again on video. I got the whole thing."

"You're a genius," Shippo says, pressing play. While he watches the video – and yeah, he's definitely watching one particular snowball explode smack dab in the middle of Miroku's face – Kagome pokes Inuyasha aggressively in the stomach. "Come on. You and me. Right now."

He pretends to be long-suffering about it but Kagome doesn't take any of it. She gets her phone back and just grabs his arm, dragging him to the bigger sled. She gets on in front and he waits until she's settled before sitting down. He's distracted immediately by the fact that he has to hold on, something simple that throws him off greatly. She's wearing a jacket, for fuck's sake. Rolling his eyes at himself, Inuyasha gets a goddamn grip and holds on. It's his stupid, overthinking mind that he has to blame when he realizes they're starting to go down the hill and Kagome has the phone in selfie mode, aimed at their faces.

They pick up speed and he yells, "Are you _videoing this_?" with all the incredulousness he can muster. She laughs at him, her long black hair flying into his face and all of it being caught on film. When the sled starts to slow at the bottom, she's stilling giggling like crazy. Her phone is clutched tightly in her hands and she's leaning back, just enough that Inuyasha is Decidedly Not Thinking About It.

Okay. Maybe he is.

"You look so mad," she says as she re-watches the video. "You're the most unimpressed."

"Default expression," he replies. "Tell me you're not posting that."

"Too late," Kagome says cheerfully. She rolls and somehow manages to stand up. Her phone is safely tucked away before she holds out her hand. "Want to go again?"

He hesitates but it's only because he'd be too eager otherwise. "No more videos," he states sternly.

Kagome places her hand over her heart and says solemnly, "I promise." Her grin as he starts to get up is blinding.

Shippo has his hands shoved into his jacket pockets but he's smiling at the top of the hill, looking between him and Kagome. "Having fun?" he asks, nudging Inuyasha slightly, like they're friends.

"Not bad," he replies. "It's still cold."

"Damn right," Koume shouts, pointing at him from her spot beside Sango and Miroku. She's smiling, mainly at Shippo. The two of them are disgustingly in love too.

"Come on, Inuyasha," Kagome yells. "Before Miroku gets any ideas."

Said best friend is currently sitting on top of Sango, who is lying in the snow with a displeased expression on her face. Inuyasha is positive that five seconds ago they were standing. "What about me?" Miroku hollers.

"Nobody likes you," Inuyasha retorts, just loud enough for them to all hear. Shippo laughs beside him, gives him another nudge.

Miroku flips him off both hands and it's enough of a distraction that Sango shoves two handfuls of snow into his face. There's an indignant, high-pitched shriek. The other families are staring now, surely.

While everyone else is focused on the wrestling match between the couple, Inuyasha gets on the sled with Kagome. This time, he doesn't hesitate to hold on tight.

* * *

Miroku shows him the video later, the one of him and Kagome going down the hill from her Instagram account. It's too close to her face but he's captured perfectly, her smiling features edging in and out of the frame while he yells if she's filming.

She captioned it: _Of course I am._

Inuyasha doesn't know what to make of that so it's another thing he Decidedly Doesn't Think About.

* * *

Inuyasha stares up at the ceiling. He's pretty sure that on a scale from one to ten, he's about a seven in terms of… Feelings. For Kagome. He fucking knew 2017 was going to be a year filled with troublesome goddamn shit.

It's starting to become a thing. Kagome. Well, thinking about her anyways. It doesn't stop and it's starting to piss him off.

Because he doesn't know, alright? Inuyasha has no fucking clue. Kagome looks at him like she does everyone else. She smiles at everyone and talks with everyone. She has a group of friends and admirers. That much is obvious. None of that is up for debate or is considered questionable.

But.

There's something. He thinks that there's… _something_. Something, well, there. Between them.

Inuyasha has a hard time really believing that though because he is nothing like anyone else she surrounds herself with. He needs copious amounts of alcohol to enjoy parties. He's not a part of any sports team nor does he like any sports. He doesn't enjoy talking to people. At all. Whatsoever. His main friend befriended him, not the other way around. Miroku had to fucking work at it and Inuyasha knows – _he knows_ – he didn't make it easy. So it makes zero sense. Absolutely none.

But.

If she did. If Kagome _did_ feel something for him, wouldn't she make a move? Say something? Fucking _indicate_? She's a communications major after all. The woman damn well knows how to communicate. A girl as confident and adored and outgoing as she is, how could she not make her feelings known? Or, at the very least, give something concrete for him to act on. An obvious signal. Something even he'd understand.

Kagome's danced with him but she's danced with others. She went sledding with him, but went down the hill just as often with Miroku and Shippo. They're both taken but the point stands. She's visited him after class but Inuyasha isn't stupid enough to believe he's the only one.

So Inuyasha has a bit of a problem.

What else is fucking new?

* * *

Miroku sends him a text around six p.m. _Where you at?_

 _Library_ , he responds, tucking his phone back in his bag. He's working with a new group for one of his classes. It's their first meeting and even though they're just researching topics, he doesn't want to be 'that guy.'

A couple minutes later and they all decide to disband, a few topics ready for approval two weeks before the due date. He has high hopes for this group. That rarely occurs. Inuyasha is pretty sure the other shoe is going to drop soon, but he'll take the cohesiveness as long as it lasts.

He checks his phone as he slings his bag over his shoulder. There are two text messages, sent a minute apart.

 _Come to viscount gym_

 _Meet you in the lobby_

There is no goddamn reason he can imagine that should bring either of them to Viscount. That gym is more for clubs than anything else. Exams, during that hell of a season. But now? He sends back a text that reads nothing more than _?_

 _Come fucking on, asshole_

Inuyasha sends him back a simple _fck u_. He goes to Viscount anyways. Miroku clearly knows him because his stupid blue eyes are twinkling at him the moment he enters the building. "Seriously," he asks, "what's going on?"

Miroku shrugs and starts walking. Inuyasha has half a mind to stubbornly stand still until he gets some answers but again, Miroku knows him all too well. His best friend doesn't even look back, just keeps walking away. Fucking asshole.

"Sango wanted you to come," he says finally, leading them down a twisting hall. Viscount is fucking confusing to get through. He's sufficiently lost after another turn but Miroku keeps going, not hesitating for even a moment.

"Why does Sango want me here?" Inuyasha asks. "You both planning to off me?" The gym was isolated enough. No one would find him for weeks if it was in the right room.

Miroku snorts but he doesn't say anything more. There are a bunch of voices now filtering down the hall, too many to be random. There's got to be some team practice going on because there are whistles being blown and cheers erupting. Miroku opens one of the gym doors and it's a lot nicer inside the massive gym than in the halls. There are about thirty or so people gathered around and before he can question what's going on, there's a sharp _thwap_. An arrow hitting a target.

Jesus Christ. Inuyasha rolls his eyes, about to yell at Miroku for being so fucking nosey. His best friend has been quiet about Kagome for the past week, ever since he threatened to punch him if he continued to talk about that damn sledding video. Sango is there before he can get anything out, grabbing his wrist and all but dragging him to the side of the room. It's a good spot actually because he gets a side profile of Kagome, standing and laughing at some station. There are two others – both men – standing at other stations beside her but a few feet away. All three of them have bows but Kagome's looks the most elaborate. Inuyasha knows shit about archery but he can tell it's fucking serious.

Until now, he hadn't been paying attention to a grey-haired woman in front of the crowd but behind the archers' stations, the one with the whistle. He assumes that she must be their coach, what with the way she commands the room and silences them all with a look. She's talking to the large group of students, jargon flowing from her lips that he doesn't quite understand. It seems that they're doing a sort of mock competition, something to tempt and awe the spectators. She tells them that Kagome and the other two are going to attempt some sort of shot. The coach says the name but Inuyasha is far too caught up in Kagome's smile as she laughs about something one of the other archers is saying.

The whistle is blown, quick and crisp. The three archers ready themselves. He doesn't get it at first but there are three people standing along the wall down the gym, each with white discs in their hands. There are a few moments of silence and then suddenly all of them move, the discs being thrown into the air. Kagome is the first to react, her arms and hands sure, body relaxed despite the tension her muscles must be feeling.

It seems almost impossible – and again, Inuyasha knows shit all about archery – but Kagome fires her arrow almost immediately and before the disc even reaches its highest potential it's being shot down to the ground, arrow buried in the middle of it. The other two do the same, both of them slightly later.

Apparently, one of them is now out. The coach announces why but he's more focused on the way the woman turns to face Kagome and the other guy, doing nothing more than a simple nod of the head. Maybe this last shot was planned. He can only assume so. Whatever it is, there's excited chatter as their stations are separated further and the students that once threw the white discs are now bringing out two crossbars to the furthest side of the gym. Inuyasha has no idea what they're going to do until another person brings out two balls, each about the size of a basketball and both attached to their own thin rope. One rope goes to each crossbar, attached right in the middle.

"The disc thing looked harder," Inuyasha whispers to Miroku, assuming they're going to hit the basketball. It's far away, yeah, but if she can hit a flying disc this should be simple.

But really, it only shows how fucking little he knows.

The whole time everything is being set up, Kagome is joking around, not tense in the least. Inuyasha has seen her confident before but this– It makes it seem like all of it before was a sham. What he's looking at before him, right here and now, is Kagome at her most confident, her most comfortable.

The coach blows the whistle again. The students at the far end of the room take the basketballs and swing them.

Ah. Well, that's harder than he originally thought. The set-up is pretty far away.

Kagome gives only the slightest hesitation, her eyes tracking momentarily before releasing with a grace Inuyasha's positive he'd never have. His eyes fly to the other side of the room, the basketball falling to the floor because–

 _Holy shit_. The goal wasn't to hit the fucking ball. It was to slice through _the rope_. Her arrow is buried into the board against the back wall.

The other archer just looks at Kagome with unconcealed awe. He shakes his head and blows out a breath, looking pleased but flustered. He sets himself up. To his credit, the rope is damaged when he makes the shot, but it doesn't break and the basketball continues to swing, not touching the ground. Kagome is crowned the winner and she takes a mock bow in front of the gathered and cheering crowd. Her dark eyes suddenly fly towards them and she outrageously winks, does a shimmy in Sango's direction that's probably not meant to be attractive but is anyways. Inuyasha can feel his body tensing as her eyes jump to Miroku, her grin still wide and then–

Kagome looks at him and unexpectedly she looks shocked. Surprised. The expression is so unusual that Inuyasha can't even tell if it's a good or bad look. Kagome turns her gaze back out to the crowd for a second before she glances back, straight at him this time. No waver. The look on her face isn't shock anymore. It's… Worry? Inuyasha can't really parse through it but she still gives him a choppy wave and small, tight grin before turning her attention to her coach.

"This is impossible," Miroku says on a sigh. Inuyasha's confused but his friend is looking at Sango – not him – and she looks exasperated, like Miroku just tried to smack her ass in public. Again.

"You _promised_ ," she replies, voice forcibly light.

Inuyasha doesn't ask, finds that he doesn't want to know anyways. Not with the look Kagome just shot him.

* * *

He thinks about that look a lot. The more he thinks about it, the less good that look becomes in his mind.

He still has a thing but–

But.

It gets a little scarier every time.

* * *

 **Next Time on** _ **Tell Me I'm Crazy**_ _ **:**_ But Inuyasha wasn't expecting this. He wasn't expecting to walk into the lecture hall only to literally bump into someone all too familiar. Someone with long black hair and dark eyes he was having trouble not thinking of. Her name fell from his lips before he could stop it and shit, shit, shit he is so obvious. No wonder she was goddamn avoiding him.

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Wakiia:_ I think a lot of people wanted them to kiss XD But this is, at heart, a ridiculous rom-com of a story so the kiss is going to be big. It's going to be grand. And it's going to be schmoopy as all hell. We gotta build it up, my dear, and that's what's going to happen. Thanks for the comment love!

 _Mal:_ Oh my dear, thank you so much for your really kind words. You're so sweet. I wonder what it was about the second chapter? But either way, thank you thank you. It means a lot.

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** I will be positing all of my stories from my old website onto my account eventually, the ones that were either previously removed or were never posted here due to *coughs* specific forms of content. This includes the stories _Ledger's Weeping, Pennies and Dimes, Immutable_ , and _The Space In Between_.

 **Feedback is love.**


	9. Part IX

**Author's Note:** How many parts will there be? NOBODY KNOWS.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part IX**

* * *

Hachi saunters into the living room like he always does: leisurely and without worry. For a guy that's in the engineering program and organizes all of the parties at Corner House, Inuyasha's completely unsure as to how it's even possible. Maybe it's some sort of really strong survival gene that pushes down all of the stress. Whatever it is, Hachi comes in casually slow, eyes tracking him and Miroku's Mario Kart game. Peach is in the lead – _again_ – but not for long. Not if his red shells have anything to say about it.

"So," Hachi starts, nice and friendly-like. Alarms immediately start to go off in his head. Red flags wave in the furthest corners of his mind. "You're still free on Saturday for Pledge Night, right?"

Inuyasha frowns, jerks even more when Miroku says, "Obviously," like it's not even a question. This is the first he's heard of it however so it's definitely a fucking question for him. "What?"

Hachi sighs, exasperated like he expected this kind of behavior. "Pledge Night. For the new pledges to come here so we can get a good feel for them? I told you about this back in December. I gave you the date and time and everything."

"Uh, no you didn't."

Miroku makes a humming sound. "Yeah man, he did. I was there."

"What are you even talking about?" Inuyasha demands. He has no recollection of this _at all_.

"We were in the kitchen," Naraku says, voice startling even in that oddly soothing, low tone of his. He's been doing yoga by the window in his boxers the entire time. Inuyasha wonders if it's weird that shit like this doesn't even phase him anymore. "Hachi told us about Pledge Night. Confirmed it was on the 14th which is this Saturday."

"Fuck off, not even," Inuyasha snaps, completely ignoring the video game in favour of glaring at Naraku.

Hachi scoffs. "I can't believe you," he says. "You always do this. It's an important night. Not for me, but for you guys. We have all the pledges coming in, testing the waters. I'm not the one staying at Corner House; you're going to have to deal with whoever lives here next."

"Fine, Christ." Inuyasha frowns at the Mario Kart music, the familiar winner's song starting to play. Fucking Peach. "It's not like I had plans anyways."

"See that you remember this time," Hachi points out, clapping him on the shoulder a little harder than necessary. "I do a lot of shit for this place."

Naraku, the asshole, just _has_ to chime in too. "You should really be more respectful, Inuyasha."

And honestly, if this is some sort of fucked up guilt trip where they're trying to make him feel bad, then yeah. They're winning. He must have forgotten. Whatever. It's not like he's Miroku and has a girl that he goes and sees and does stuff with all the time. The most Inuyasha does is play around on his laptop or binge watch TV shows. Hachi must sense that Inuyasha feels properly chastised because he pats him one more time and then heads towards the kitchen.

Inuyasha turns his attention back to the TV and it's only then that he notices Miroku's face is all screwed up, like he's holding in a laugh that he can no longer contain. Inuyasha narrows his eyes at him. " _No_."

And Miroku loses it, laughing so hard he drops the controller on the floor. Naraku is quick to join in, even though it's probably ruining his chi or whatever and Hachi – fucking, goddamn Hachi – starts giggling all the way in the freaking kitchen.

Because it was all one big, terrible joke.

"You sons of bitches," he mutters. "I hate all of you."

Miroku, still in a fit of laughter, falls over so that his head is now resting on Inuyasha's shoulder. He's about to shove him off but his best friend pokes him in the face, turning to look at him all fond. Stupid blue eyes. Stupid puppy-dog look. It shouldn't work as well as it does. "You're way too easy."

"That's what she said!" Hachi yells from the other room.

Inuyasha shouldn't like any of these people, is the moral of the story. But somehow he does.

It's annoying as fuck.

* * *

A while back, Inuyasha had been talking to Ginta and Naraku about easy elective classes, something that would be great for boosting his average. Ginta swore that this class – some second year Classics class focused on different mythologies – was the way to go. No essays. Just a couple quizzes, one test and then a final exam. As long as you were good at reading, you'd be set.

But Inuyasha wasn't expecting this. He wasn't expecting to walk into the lecture hall only to literally bump into someone all too familiar. Someone with long black hair and dark eyes he was having trouble not thinking of. Her name fell from his lips before he could stop it and shit, shit, shit he is so obvious. No wonder she was goddamn avoiding him.

Because she had to be, right? He saw her at the archery class, where their varsity team was showcasing what it would be like to join the sport. He watched her and she saw him and made that face. And then – _and then_ – Miroku invited her and Sango over for things like movies or food but Kagome never came.

Headaches.

Inuyasha's not stupid. This all meant something.

Sango wasn't any better at taming his fears, rolling her eyes at the mention of her roommate and not giving any proper answers. _Women_.

"Hey, _hi_ ," Kagome says, turning around and laying eyes on him. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, this is that mythology class, right? The easy one?" He knows, the moment those words leave his mouth, that he sounds like an absolute idiot. These are statements he's making, not questions. And unless he actually is a complete moron and walked into the wrong lecture hall – which has happened to him, he'll admit it but _still_ – then he shouldn't sound so goddamn confused.

Kagome grins then, this big and bright thing that he hasn't seen on her face since they went tobogganing last week. It's nothing like the expression from her archery showcase. Something inside of him untwists. "You're in this class? Really? That's awesome." She stares at him then, opens her mouth and closes it without making a sound. For the first time ever, she looks a bit awkward. So much for that untwisting feeling. "Sit with me?"

Nodding, he goes to follow her, only to have to wait as Kagome makes her excuses to someone she was apparently talking to before him. It only takes a few moments, but it's enough that he wonders if he should make his excuses and sit somewhere else. Does Kagome actually want him to sit with her, or was it just something she thought she had to offer since they were… Friends?

Inuyasha sighs. Fucking 2017.

"Come on, my seat's down here." Kagome takes a few steps down, settling into a row that's midway through the room. The lecture hall probably seats several hundred students at a time and it's already looking pretty packed. There is a seat free beside her though and he takes it, getting his laptop out and ready for class. When he looks back up, he notices Kagome is talking to the guy beside her. "Hey," she says, "Bankotsu, I want you to meet Inuyasha. Inuyasha, this is Bankotsu. He's also in Communications."

"Hey man," Bankotsu greets, giving a half-salute. "Nice to meet you."

"Yeah," Inuyasha replies, possibly a little too slow. "You too."

Kagome just laughs a little, her attention completely back on him. Inuyasha is far too pleased by this. He needs to get this thing under control. "I didn't know you were interested in mythology."

Inuyasha shrugs. "'Interest' is a strong word. My classes this semester are brutal and I just needed an elective that didn't involve essays."

"I heard it was pretty easy," Kagome admits, nodding. "I think mythology's really cool though. Plus, I get secret joy from watching movies involving mythology and then pointing out all of the differences."

He raises a brow. "So you're one of those people."

Kagome grins again, doing a flailing sort of shrug that looks far more endearing than awkward. "Maybe."

"Excuse me everyone!" the professor calls out, standing at the front of the room at the podium.

With one last small smile, Kagome focuses her attention on the lecturer.

Inuyasha determines that the difficulty of this class probably went up another couple notches, mainly because his mind keeps dragging itself to thoughts on how close she is, rather than on the material.

Surely, he's going to go crazy by the end of it.

* * *

Kouga finds him in the living room, lying on the couch and staring at the ceiling. Miroku's out with Sango and Hachi is screaming somewhere about ridiculous freshmen and Naraku finished his daily boxer-wearing yoga routine almost an hour ago. Frankly, he's thankful for the silence even if it's causing him to be all weird and crap. It's unbecoming, is what it is. He was never a sad moron before he decided to get drunk with Kouga and fall asleep under a tree.

Vaguely, Inuyasha wonders what Sesshomaru would think of this.

Ugh. That's a scary thought.

"What are you doing?" Kouga asks, extending the vowels in all of the words so it's said horribly slow.

"Nothing," Inuyasha replies. He's not sure why he follows that up with, "Thinking."

Bad word vomit. _Bad_.

"Alright then." The soccer star walks closer and now Inuyasha can see him better, the way his face is creased slightly with worry. "Do you want a sandwich?"

Lunch was a few hours ago, but a fucking delicious sandwich would do for dinner. He sits up. "Sure."

Kouga smiles smugly but it's hard to know why. He turns towards the kitchen, kicking off his shoes and dropping his backpack by the door. "How are classes so far?" he asks, opening up the fridge while Inuyasha sits down at the table.

"Fine, I guess." Inuyasha shrugs. "It's going to be a shit semester though."

"Is that why you're all fucking mopey?"

He sputters, defensive, but all Kouga does is raise an eyebrow at him. And okay, wow, rude. If he wanted that kind of attitude he'd have actually called his asshole half-brother.

"Look," his friend says finally, turning back towards the sandwiches. "Don't take this the wrong way but that whole image of you lying on the couch was pretty depressing, man. You looked like a fifteen year-old girl crying over Bieber."

Inuyasha grimaces because that's just _mean_.

"Fine, Shawn Mendes. Whatever, the point still stands."

Sighing, Inuyasha rubs at the back of his neck. "How did you know Ayame liked you?"

To his credit, and Inuyasha's surprise, Kouga doesn't even look up at him. He simply continues to butter the bread. "I don't know, man. I flirted and she flirted back."

And really, that's kind of the problem, isn't it? "How did you know she was flirting?"

Now, Kouga does look at him. "Really?"

Inuyasha waves his hands in a seriously awkward and mostly flailing sort of signal for _yes, really, fucking thank you._ "I've never had a girlfriend before. A couple short, friends-with-benefits things. Mostly just hook-ups."

" _What_."

This is not what he wanted to focus on. "I was home-schooled." Kouga continues to stare, unmoving, a piece of delicious Swiss cheese poised over one of the sandwiches. Somehow, it forces up that word vomit again because before he can stop himself he says, "I've never been to camp or joined a sports team or anything before. I was never around other people, really, until coming here. How the hell would I get a girlfriend?"

Oh god. _Wow_ , he _is_ a fucking fifteen year-old girl. Oh god, he can't look at Kouga in the face. This is mortifying. Is there beer? He needs a beer. Stat.

Finally, there's the sound of a knife being placed onto the counter. Inuyasha is glaring at the ground because he is _not_ going to look up, thank you very much. He's going to sit here until it gets bad enough that he'll leave the room. It'll be fine. Kouga and he are like kind-of friends anyways. Mostly friends? It's hard to say. He has a total of one other friend to compare it to. And Miroku is fucking weird enough that no one can compare to him.

This is terrible. _Terrible_.

"Well," Kouga says eventually, "this explains a whole fucking lot. How are you even a remotely functioning adult?"

The question jolts his head up without his permission. Damnit. "What?"

"It explains the whole–" Kouga waves at him dismissively, "thing you have going on. Anyways, flirting for a relationship isn't that much different than flirting for a hook-up. How did you know then?"

Inuyasha tries to remember, though it's all a bit hazy. Not all of the times, but many of them were while drunk at a famous Corner House party. "I'm pretty sure the words 'we should have sex' were said."

"Ah." Rolling his eyes, Kouga tops off the sandwich and brings it over to the table. "So unless Kagome says to you 'we should start dating' you're a fucking hopeless case."

"Kagome?"

If the look Kouga gave him before was unimpressed, then Inuyasha doesn't even know how to describe this look. It's a billion times worse. Sesshomaru would be jealous. He should take a picture and send it to him, give him something to strive towards. "I'm not an idiot."

"I never said you were!"

"Uh huh."

The two of them sit at the kitchen table, staring at each other.

"So," Inuyasha finally says. "You really have no advice?"

"Eat your sandwich," Kouga grumbles. "Why the fuck don't you bother Miroku with this shit?"

"I rather never date, ever."

Sagely, Kouga nods.

* * *

Pledge Night is nothing and everything like Inuyasha remembers it to be. It's pretty chill; only about ten people are there, all of them first or second year students. The whole point of the evening is to learn more about who applied and to figure out if any of them would be a good fit. Mostly, that means figuring out who would be a definite no.

Inuyasha's still surprised _he_ wasn't a definite no, but he knows without a doubt it was thanks to Miroku.

"Beer?" his best friend asks, offering a bottle with a raised eyebrow.

"Please." He looks over the small crowd, seeing a lot of guys standing around Naraku with confused expressions on their faces. They were probably realizing how truly strange he was. The whole DJ thing gave him more cred than he deserved.

Miroku clinks their bottles together before taking a swallow. Pledge Night is meant to be tame. It's supposed to be the opposite of the famous Corner House parties to see who is really there to be a part of the house and not someone who is just there to drink until their livers fail. So far, two of the ten pledges didn't even bring booze, even though it was very clear to BYOB. Meaning they wanted free booze.

Automatic deductions but not complete fails.

"There's a girl for once," Miroku says, gesturing with his head towards where Hachi is making small talk with a petite blonde. Blonde may not even be the right word for it. Her hair is practically white, that ashy blonde colour that's trending right now. "Her name is Shiori. Ginta thinks she's cute."

"How pissed is Hakkaku?" Inuyasha jokes, smirking when Miroku nearly chokes on his beer.

"Their codependency shouldn't be so funny."

Shrugging, Inuyasha looks around the living room and notices pretty quickly a familiar flop of red hair. "Is that Shippo?"

As if he hears his name being called, the guy wanders over, grinning with a bottle of beer in his hand. It's some kind of import so he obviously brought it. Brownie points to him. "Hey!"

"Shippo, I didn't know you were applying," Miroku says, kicking out his feet to push at the redhead's calves. "Why didn't you say something?"

Shippo waves his hands dismissively. "Wasn't sure if I'd make the first round of interviews. Is Hachi always so crazy?"

"Only during this time," Miroku replies. "He's trying to transition everything over. There's the party in February, plus finding the right two pledges, and we're going to need a new head of Corner House. Never mind that he's a goddamn engineer."

"He's in engineering?" The thought obviously boggles Shippo's mind because he widens his green eyes, mouth slightly open. "How does he do it? I would have had a nervous breakdown."

"We think he cries when everyone's asleep," Inuyasha answers before taking another sip of beer. Shippo laughs loudly, hitting him in the shoulder like they're best friends. It reminds him almost of Kagome and her openness. It hits him then that he doesn't even know how Shippo knows her. "How did you meet Kagome?"

"Huh?" Inuyasha has to repeat himself a second time before Shippo's confusion turns into yet another grin. "Oh, she's in the Maroons, right? So during frosh week there's this thing where you like run through a tunnel of people – the faculty and organizers and other clubs that are participating – and when we finally made it to the end Kagome was there to take us to the next activity. Her voice was already almost gone she was screaming so much. I just thought she was cool."

"That's one thing I admire about you, Shippo," Miroku announces, wrapping his arm around the younger man's shoulders. "You have no fear when talking to women. Like Koume? Sango told me the first time you met was at her birthday party. And yet, you talked to her the whole night!"

The redhead blushes like crazy at that. "It's not a big deal!"

And at the moment, Inuyasha knows exactly what's going to happen. "Miroku–"

"Take this guy right here," his best friend interrupts, pointing aggressively in Inuyasha's direction. "Completely inept with almost everyone but women in general? He's a fucking disaster. A nightmare. I'm embarrassed to be around him sometimes."

"Fuck you," he replies, without any heat.

"That bedside manner," Miroku sighs heavily. "It hurts the soul."

"Hey guys!" A completely new and unfamiliar female voice breaks in, making the three of them turn. Standing there is the girl – the only female pledge – and she's holding her own kind of craft beer that Inuyasha is positive he's never heard of before. "I'm Shiori."

"Nice to meet you," replies Miroku, letting go of Shippo's shoulders to shake her hand. "I'm Miroku. This adorable little muffin is Shippo, and the asshole with the dead look in his eyes is Inuyasha, my best friend."

Shiori snorts and grins, a dangerous sort of look. Even in a room entirely filled by guys, she seems at ease. Which is something he's jealous of because if he was in a room filled with women he'd probably die. "Nice to meet you," she responds, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Do you all live in Corner House?"

"I'm trying to get in too," Shippo admits, almost looking sheepish. "Good thing there are two spots?"

"Good thing. So," she says, looking right at Inuyasha, "what did you two do to win the hearts of the Corner House roommates when you pledged?"

Miroku bursts out laughing which is the first bad sign. Inuyasha tries not to sigh and instead figures out how he's going to explain the genius plan Miroku had concocted for them. "Well, he's the friendly one but we were friends since the beginning of first year. He's the one that wanted to get in rather than rent an apartment off-campus. We started going to parties and while Miroku talked to and charmed the pants off of all of them, I stood in carefully chosen spots to ply them with alcohol to make it seem like it was a joint effort."

Shiori blinks, turns to look at his best friend. "You're kidding me."

"It was a weird year for Corner House," Miroku adds, grinning widely. "It was the first time in a while that most of the members of the house were leaving. Usually, pledges can only get references from staying members but so many were graduating. All of them had input. All we needed to do was get a reference for each of us, and present ourselves as a sort of package."

"It worked," Inuyasha says, shrugging. "Again, his plan. Not mine."

"I didn't know you were friends before," Shippo says, narrowing his eyes. "How did that even happen?"

Miroku laughs. "It's a great story."

"It's not," Inuyasha interrupts.

"Basically, I was hanging out with my friends from my res floor and they told me that this chick was interested, you know? So I got put in this closet for some of that seven minutes of heaven crap. Turns out–"

"They trapped me instead." Inuyasha rolls his eyes at his best friend's indignation at the interruption.

Shiori bursts out giggling. "Tell me the two of you at least got _some_ action from it."

"Oh yeah," Miroku replies, nodding vigorously. "I mean, look at him! He's an Adonis among mere mortals. Sometimes it hurts for me to look at him. And his social skills? Fucking blew me away."

Inuyasha groans. "Oh my god, _fuck off already_."

Shippo grins and finishes off his beer. "Tell me more."

* * *

Inuyasha has a love/hate relationship with mythology.

"What did he say?" Inuyasha hisses, leaning over into Kagome's space because he's learned that she'll do the exact same thing when she falls behind in notes.

"The origin of the cosmos started with Ginnungagap, Muspelheim and Niflheim."

"My god, could it be any more impossible to spell?" Inuyasha whispers rhetorically, keeping an eye on the slides at the front of the room and the names in her notes. "Thanks."

He types it up as fast as he can, returning his gaze to the professor. For the most part it's easy to keep up but when there are multiple names being called out at once – with spelling as ridiculous as that – it can quickly get confusing. The class finishes up a couple minutes later, the professor reminding them about their quiz the next day.

Three weeks into the damn semester. Inuyasha isn't sure how he feels about the semester so far. It seems at the moment like it has the potential to kick his ass.

"Hey, what are you doing later?" Kagome asks him, packing her stuff up.

Inuyasha shakes his head. "Nothing, I don't think. Studying for this probably."

"Want to study together?" she asks. "I have practice until eight but I could meet you somewhere after?"

"Sure." He nods, watches as Kagome extends the offer to Bankotsu. Honestly, Inuyasha forgets he's there sometimes. He talks a bit but he sits beside another guy he can't remember the name of, who takes up all of his attention.

"Sorry, I have practice until at least nine," Bankotsu says. "Maybe next time?"

"Sure," Kagome replies easily enough. "See you tomorrow." She turns to look at Inuyasha and he tries, incredibly hard, not to think about how attractive she is. And friendly. She's almost too friendly. Somehow, someway, it's not a turn-off for his socially inept personality. Miracle of miracles.

"I'll text you and we can meet up?" she asks.

Nodding, Inuyasha agrees. He tells himself that he's not looking forward to this. It is studying after all.

He is so not looking forward to this.

* * *

There's absolutely no food in the house so Miroku states that they should go to Commons for a burger. It's closer than McDonald's and he doesn't want to pay for pizza delivery. "I have night class anyways," he adds, as if he needs to further sell Inuyasha on the idea.

Sitting at a table, burgers juicy and hot in hand, Miroku asks, "Did Hachi give you the pledge rate sheet?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha answers. Hachi had given all of the staying members of Corner House a sheet that gave them the ability to check positively or negatively on a pledge. If the pledge never spoke to you during the night, it was an automatic negative. It was a really good thing he had hung around Miroku all night because _he_ remembered the names at least. "I'll probably do it tomorrow. You have time then to go over it?"

His best friend nods, jamming some fries into his mouth. He's the most unattractive individual; it's a wonder Sango sleeps with him.

"He said he'd let us know if we were asked to give a reference."

"Yeah, Shippo's probably going to ask for one," Miroku says. "And speaking of Shippo, isn't it so cute how he's totally head over heels for his girlfriend?"

Inuyasha frowns. That was completely unexpected and random. Why would he–

"And speaking of girlfriends," Miroku continues, not even hesitating. "When are you going to have one?"

Oh god. Inuyasha stares at his burger sadly. He knew there was a price for coming here, besides that of the burger combo. "Do we have to talk about this?"

"Yep," the blue-eyed bastard says, far too cheerfully. "Because I care about you. It makes me sad that you're still single."

"What if I want to be single?" Inuyasha asks defiantly. "I don't want to be all disgusting like you and Sango."

Miroku scoffs. "You're lying."

"Am not."

"Are too."

Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha decides that only the truth will make his best friend shut up. "Look, I'm trying."

Miroku looks far too happy at those words. "With who?"

Jesus. Now he's just playing stupid. Inuyasha hates him. He hate him, he hates him, he– "You know who."

"Nope," Miroku replies, letting the 'p' pop as he says it. "I need you to spell it out for me. Nice and slow now."

What an asshole. "Kagome."

His best friend practically collapses on the table. His arms are spread all over, nearly knocking into his precious food. "Oh, thank god. I was ninety percent sure you'd say her name but that fucking ten percent, man. It kills. So this is good! When are you going to ask her out?"

Inuyasha frowns. "What? I'm not– I don't even know if she likes me like that. I said I was _trying_."

Miroku blinks once, twice. Sighs heavily like he despairs for the universe. And, okay, that's rude too. Does he have any friends that aren't so terrible? "You aren't sure if Kagome likes you." It's not a question.

Inuyasha nods and takes another bite of burger. Around a mouthful he adds, "Recently she's been acting weird."

"Do you know why?" Half of Miroku's hand is covering his face. He sounds tired, like the conversation is mentally draining him. Inuyasha would be glad not to talk about it but he's the one that brought it up. Now the fucker can suck it up and listen.

"No. I don't…" He hesitates but if he trusts anyone with shit like this, it's Miroku. "I don't think she knows that I like her. I was worried that it was because of that. That she knew and didn't feel the same?"

Miroku stares at him, face unreadable. "That Kagome…didn't feel the same."

"Right."

"You believe that."

"It was possible! But I don't know anymore. She asked to study with me tonight so it can't be that bad."

"Good," Miroku says firmly. "Hopefully you can figure it out."

Inuyasha nods and finishes off his burger. He's mid-chew when he hears Miroku mutter something under his breath. "What?"

"Hmm?" his best friend hums, blue eyes intent.

"What did you say?"

"Oh nothing." Miroku waves a dismissive hand. "Just silly me wondering if Sango's wrath is worth it."

Inuyasha's not entirely sure what _that's_ all about but he answers anyways. With Sango, his dearest friend needs all the help he can get. "Probably best not to piss her off. I'm pretty sure she could castrate you."

"Thanks," Miroku replies drily. "What would I do without you?"

Instead of replying, he throws a fry at him. Sass like that shouldn't be tolerated.

* * *

Miroku's class started at seven and while Inuyasha didn't mind walking, it was really fucking cold out. He decides instead to stay in Commons and sends a text to Kagome that he's still on campus. He doesn't expect a response until after eight, but there's a quick one sent to him around seven-thirty.

 _Meet me at Viscount? 8?_

It involves him walking in the cold again, and Inuyasha won't admit this out loud, but if Kagome wants to meet him there he's going to say yes. He types out an affirmative and then messes around on his phone for a bit. This would be a good time to study but he didn't really plan to stay and therefore didn't bring his laptop. Either they're going to have to go back to Corner House or, if she has her own notes, they can study off of that.

Eventually, he convinces himself to get up and take a walk outside. Commons and Viscount aren't exactly near each other but it's probably only a five minute walk. There's soft snow now falling from the sky but it's not windy, not as cold. Inuyasha stuffs his hands further in his pockets anyways and dreams of a beach. Maybe he can convince Myoga to go. Myoga could surely convince Sesshomaru in a couple of months. When he goes back to visit in February that is going to be his number one priority.

Inuyasha enters Viscount with still five minutes left before eight. Assuming Kagome's going to need a couple minutes afterwards, he figures it can't be that hard to find the gym. Miroku was able to do it so surely he can.

It's surprisingly easy. While there are a bunch of hallways that lead away, most of them lead to locked doorways and offices. He only gets off track a few times but eventually the gym doors greet him, just as someone is stepping out.

"See you, Coach!" the guy calls, waving and nearly hitting Inuyasha in the face. He tries not to snap at the guy because it'll be his luck that it's Kagome's best fucking archery friend or whatever. And what he told Miroku was the truth. He was _trying_.

Inuyasha waits outside the doorway, feeling a little silly. He should have waited in the lobby. Coming all this way seems almost needy. Fuck, maybe he can walk back now and–

"Hey, I know you!" Some girl waves at him, smiling. Inuyasha vaguely recognizes her but he honestly couldn't say. She seems to know him though because she gestures for him to come closer. "Kagome's inside talking to Coach."

"Uh, thanks," he says, trying to not show the level of discomfort he's feeling. He can't run away now though since he's been caught.

"Kagome!" the girl yells. "You have a _visitor_!"

She's standing at the far side of the gym, hair high up in a ponytail and a bow still in her hands. She waves at him and smiles but turns her attention back to the grey-haired woman that led the class those few weeks ago. Inuyasha doesn't miss the glare the coach sends his way.

Alright then. Clearly a fan.

It doesn't take too long. He stands in the corner of the room and watches as people pack up. Some of them give him strange looks but most of them just ignore him completely, leaving the gym saying goodbye to their teammates. Kagome is one of the last to leave. She tells him to wait just a little bit longer – "I'm so sorry" – and she starts to put away that serious looking bow of hers. It's not until she has the case in hand and another bag slung over her shoulder that she pronounces herself good to go.

"Here, uh." Inuyasha looks at everything she's carrying, wanting to help. She's probably used to it but it looks ridiculous and he's standing there carrying nothing at all. The least he can do is– "Let me grab your bag."

"No, I'm good," Kagome says, trying to argue, but Inuyasha takes it anyways, slinging it over his own shoulder. It makes him feel slightly better, like the playing field just got levelled. "Seriously!" she protests.

"Too late," he replies, smirking in her direction. "Where are we going?"

"My notes are in my locker," Kagome states, shifting the bow case to her other hand. "But I'm worried that I've missed something. Do you have yours?"

Inuyasha winces. "Back at my place. I wasn't expecting to have dinner here."

"Then…we study are your place?" Kagome asks. "Technically it's closer than mine."

"Sure." Inuyasha tries not to imagine where they're going to study. The kitchen isn't a good idea because they'll be interrupted for sure. His bedroom is going to have to be the place and oh god, oh no. He can't. This is going to be _torture_. "Sounds good," he manages to force out, only somewhat strangled. He'll consider it a win that he can speak at all.

The two of them walk over to her locker, where she trades the bag Inuyasha was holding for another filled with her laptop and books. She bundles up a bit more in a hat and some gloves, but she smiles at him and leans into him slightly as they leave the building. "Are you ready to study for this?"

"Probably not," Inuyasha concedes. "I'm more familiar with essays than tests but it can't be that hard."

"It _is_ the first one," Kagome points out.

"If I was a teacher, I'd make that one the hardest just to scare the shit out of my students." Inuyasha smirks at the way her face goes all worried. "Wouldn't you?"

" _No_ ," she says emphatically. "That's hardly fair."

"This is university. We pay a shit-ton of money for a piece of paper. The whole concept isn't fair."

Kagome groans and hides her face in her hands. "Please don't remind me. I'm going to have to work my ass off this summer just to pay for everything."

"Where do you work?" Inuyasha asks, just trying desperately to keep the conversation going. It seems like an easy question, something that anyone would ask.

"Wherever will fit in my schedule," Kagome replies. She tugs her hat further down on her head as a stray gust of wind blows their way. "I teach archery, of course, but I also host at a restaurant by my house and babysit where I can. Shit's expensive. I do less in the school year than I do in the summer."

"Are you kidding?" Inuyasha asks, looking at her rather appalled. "Aren't you in a billion clubs?"

"Like, two," Kagome replies, rolling her eyes. "Plus archery. I was considering working a job around here but I've still got enough saved up to last me until the summer."

It doesn't take long for them to reach Corner House. With the temperature as low as it is, the two of them are walking quite quickly. They get to the front door and Inuyasha hears it right away, knowing before he even opens the door what's going to happen.

"Son of a bitch," he mutters, glaring at the peephole. He can't see inside but he fucking _knows_.

"What? Forget your keys?" Kagome asks.

"No, just– _Miroku_ ," he says darkly. He should have known better than to trust him. He obviously sent a text to the whole goddamn house that he was studying with Kagome and to keep a lookout. It's easy enough to hear that all of them are in the living room, probably drinking a couple of beers. It's Friday Junior, after all. Thursdays have to be good for something.

Well. Nut up or shut up. Inuyasha twists the doorknob, knowing that it'll be unlocked. The fuckers are waiting for him after all.

When he opens the door, the instant silence is near deafening. Stepping inside with Kagome close behind him, he stares into the faces of every single roommate but the evil, horrible, no-good Miroku. Each one of them smiles massively.

"Hey there buddy," Hakkaku practically coos. "Didn't know you'd be bringing a friend!"

"Fuck off," he replies, glaring.

"So touchy," Naraku murmurs.

Hachi laughs. "No wonder this is the first girl we've seen him with since–"

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up!" Inuyasha yells. He kicks off his shoes and looks at Kagome, somewhat terrified. It was going to be awkward for him anyways but _this_ is a billion times worse. Somehow someway though, Kagome is just giving him a small smile. "My room?" he suggests, the question coming out mangled and desperate and low. He can only pray that none of the boys behind him can hear.

"Sounds good to me," Kagome replies. With a salute to the guys of Corner House, she heads towards the stairs, already knowing the way.

Inuyasha shouldn't find it hot.

He does though. Jesus fucking Christ, does he ever.

Turning rather suddenly, he viciously points at all of them until they stop whispering and pay attention. "I know Miroku did this but I swear to god, if any of you come near my room–"

"We don't cock-block!" Kouga replies, sounding hurt. "What kind of friends do you take us for?"

At that, Inuyasha pauses. Friends. The frustration sort of fizzles out and instead of feeling harassed, he sees how all of his roommates are looking at him, fucking happy as shit. They're his goddamn friends.

"Fine," he hisses, trying to save face because that was a long and fucking awkward pause. Dear god, if he lives through the rest of the night it will be a miracle. " _Fine_. Just. _Ugh_." He flips them off as he leaves the living room.

He's not smirking as he goes up the stairs. No, he is _not_.

Inuyasha's life is so, so difficult.

* * *

 **Next Time on** ** _Tell Me I'm Crazy_ : **And, okay, let's be honest. He said a total of three words (and yeah, two of them were _yeah_ ) and he looks like death incarnate and now he's going to be late for class. But now his feet don't feel as heavy and he's kind of smiling at absolutely nothing.

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Guest:_ I'm glad you liked it!

 _ThatGirl:_ Thank you so much! I'm a little more refreshed I would say. It was a nice change of pace to see the sun. It was really cloudy here for a bit and not seeing the sun is kind of sad. The part with Miroku and Inuyasha waking up haunted me for weeks before I had wrote the scene XD

 _Flareup4Ratchet:_ Thank you! Ah yes, OTPs. I enjoy a great many of them! My personal favourites in this fandom are Inuyasha/Kagome (obviously), Miroku/Sango and Kouga/Ayame. Sesshomaru I'm not overly picky – I've written him with both Kagura and Rin, and have enjoyed both. I'm a bit lucky, in the sense that I'm a strict AU writer, because I have the flexibility to make a pairing I want and in a different universe, anything is possible. Like my Naraku/Jakotsu pairing! OTPs bring a lot of people together but I personally am not fond when some people complain that their OTP isn't being used. I see it a lot in the Harry Potter fandom and it's upsetting. Reviews are for constructive criticism, not whining. If you don't like the story, stop reading and don't complain, you know? **Everyone is entitled to love the pairings they love!** OTPs are in the eye of the beholder :D

 _Mal:_ Hehe, glad you thought it was cute :D Ah yes, the look! Oh there's so much meaning behind it and that's the one thing that sucks about writing in one person's point of view. I've considered writing a small piece that shows Kagome's side of the story but I've personally never enjoyed reading those, so I'm not sure I'll go through with it. And no! I'm not offended at all, just curious!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** I once worked on a story where Inuyasha and Shiori were the bestest of best friends. It also involved Inuyasha being paid for boyfriend-like services, but that's beside the point.

 **Feedback is love.**


	10. Part X

**Author's Note:** Apologies for the delay. I made a big boo boo, so I more or less had to re-write a good chunk of this. Then my entire department got fired (minus me) so work consumed my soul. But I finished all the editing, so updates should be timely going forward.

I have quite a few reviews to respond to, I am so sorry. I didn't want to prolong the chapter update, and I didn't want to just brush off your kind words with "thanks!" So please know that I will respond as soon as I can. I love you, thank you!

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part X**

* * *

"Hey, asshole."

Inuyasha groans, buries his face deeper into his pillow. Does no one in Corner House understand the concept of a _closed bedroom door_? Maybe if he quiets and just stays nice and silent under the covers…

"I'm not fucking buying it." There's a _thwap_ and then something is on his shoulder, on top of the duvet. Goddamn it, son of a _bitch_.

"What?" Inuyasha growls, poking his head out. "What the fuck do you want, Hachi?"

"Don't sass me," the engineer responds, unimpressed. "I have a lot to do and talking to you now was the most convenient for me. So. Read that quickly and fill in the bottom part. I need it by noon."

Whining doesn't seem worth it but he does it anyways. "What are you talking about?" he complains, blinding grabbing at whatever it is on top of him. It's– Paper?

"You were asked to be a reference, my dear studmuffin," Hachi says. He sounds far too happy for– Yep, for eight in the morning. What the fuck. "Read up, write up, give it back."

Who the fuck asked him to be a reference to get into Corner House? Of everyone in their house, Inuyasha knows for a fact that he is the least likeable. The least. Even Naraku does a bit better and while that's only because they don't know about his underwear-clad yoga days, it doesn't change the fact that he's DJ Naraku The-Fucking-Best.

Ugh.

His door slams shut.

Inuyasha's almost surprised his door knows how to _be_ shut.

Sighing, exhausted, Inuyasha flops back down and closes his eyes. He could maybe fall back asleep.

Yeah, right.

Groaning, he sits up and blearily looks at the papers in his hands. It's some sort of interview sheet that clearly has a lot of Hachi's handwriting. At the top of the page, the interviewee's name is clearly listed: Shippo.

Huh.

Shippo asked for a reference from him.

Not Miroku.

Him.

 _Him_.

* * *

Huh.

* * *

"So it's been decided," Hachi says gravely, clasping his hands together between his legs. He looks across the room at each of them, eyeing them in turn before grinning hugely. "Well, that was easy."

All seven of the Corner House boys are sitting in the living room, most of them on the floor. They had just decided who were going to replace Hachi and Naraku for the next year. It took a grand total of twenty minutes.

"Beer time?" Ginta asks, waggling his eyebrows.

"Fuck yes, it's beer time," Naraku replies, grimacing. "I don't want to think about leaving this place."

"And finding us a new DJ," Miroku points out. "You can't leave us hanging."

The dark-haired man sighs. "Yeah, yeah," he replies, waiving a hand dismissively. "I'll figure it out. I'm not that far away either. I can always come back for a night."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes, watches as Ginta and Hakkaku go into the kitchen to bring out some beers. It's already dinnertime so they'll probably all buy pizza in about twenty minutes. He nudges Miroku, who's typically looking at his text messages. Inuyasha would be irritated by the whole thing but he actually likes Sango. "Really?" he asks sarcastically, more to piss off his friend than anything else.

Miroku pouts at him, putting a hand over his heart while the other locks his phone. "I was simply telling her that we were having a boys' night and to expect drunken text messages from me later."

"How much beer do you think we're going to consume?" Inuyasha asks.

He shouldn't have asked though. He really shouldn't have.

Because it's at that moment that Ginta and Hakkaku burst from the kitchen, a bottle of Hennessy outstretched towards the group. "Hachi's been holding back on us," Hakkaku states.

"Hey!" Hachi yells. "How the fuck did you find that?"

"Why not leave it in your room, you idiot?" Ginta snaps back. "Don't front, you wanted us to find it for this exact moment."

"I did not!"

Ginta grins as he opens it. "Boys, we're going to party tonight!"

Hachi groans and throws an arm over his face. "That was a gift I'll have you know. I was saving it for something special."

"And this is special," Kouga chips in, slapping him hard on the knee as he gets up to join the other two in the kitchen. "We need glasses. Anyone want it on the rocks?"

It's not the last thing Inuyasha remembers by a long shot.

But.

It is the last time anyone in the room makes a good decision, and even then, it's pretty questionable.

"Tell Sango to expect a hell of a lot more than drunk text messages," Inuyasha whispers at his best friend.

Miroku's already texting up a storm, looking like a child in a fucking candy store. "Already on it."

* * *

"It's time for another adventure!"

What a _great fucking idea_. "Yes!" Inuyasha cheers, hands up in the air and thanking whatever the fuck is up there for this great idea. Because it's a great idea. A great fucking idea.

Kouga smiles at him, so happy that he's on board with this plan. He points right at him. "This is why you're my bestie."

"You fucking know it," Inuyasha replies, draining the last of his drink and slamming the glass on the table. Nothing shatters so it's a win.

"Where are we going?" Miroku asks, lifting his head from the table. Inuyasha's pretty sure he wasn't sleeping because his friend looks as chipper as ever. "Oh my god, can we sleep under trees _too_?"

"No! No, none of that shit." Inuyasha shakes his head.

"But I want to meet _my_ girlfriend and if that shit worked for you–" Hakkaku can't even finish the sentence because Ginta hits him in the back of the head, and then bursts out into giggles.

They are sad excuses for men, Inuyasha thinks. But they are _awesome_.

And then it finally processes.

"I don't have a girlfriend," Inuyasha says, but near instantly Kouga and Miroku start jumping up and down, yelling about something cheerfully. It's like they're skipping almost and– _Are they holding hands_? "I thought I was your best friend!" he cries out.

The two of them stop, look at each other and then look at him. "You are," Miroku replies grinning, around the same time that Kouga winks and says, "Besties for life, bro!"

Bro. _Bro_.

Inuyasha goes to the fridge for more beer.

* * *

"This is not legal."

Naraku scoffs. "Thanks tips."

Inuyasha watches as Ginta's grip on the stone tightens. And like, yes, they are climbing the side of one of the university's buildings. But – _but_ – if they fall there's a good chance that no one will die. There's, like, shrubs and shit.

"It'll be worth it!" Kouga hisses, as usual the king of the Best Ideas Ever. He's leading them all, captain of the team. It's not a particularly difficult climb; they have to get on a high stone fence, climb from it onto a doorway ledge and from there shimmy up to the flat part of some ancient building's roof. Miroku is already up there, leaning over to help Kouga up. Inuyasha is third, the rest of the group trailing behind.

Hachi almost falls but it was his own fault for barely trying to climb. Minimal effort was going to get you nowhere.

Eventually, all seven of them are at the top, staring into the night sky. The moon is full and while it's not exactly warm out, it's strangely above freezing. Hardly, but still. It's Miroku's idea to take a photo of them all so they have to huddle together, sliding over carefully until their faces can fit in the shot. After they finally take a photo where they don't look completely and utterly hammered, they simply stay the way they are. It's warmer and frankly, none of them feel like moving. To Inuyasha, it feels like the first time all night that he can relax. He's drunk enough that he's pretty sure it's true, even though maybe it's not? Because he's drunk and all, and drunk people are generally relaxed.

He flops back and notices that he's lying down partly on someone. Oh well.

"So," Naraku says quietly, as if afraid more noise will break the moment. "When is the sun going to rise?"

It takes a second but Inuyasha starts to frown because he's pretty sure it's only like two in the morning.

"We did this to watch the sunrise?" Hachi asks. He's loud as fuck but it's Hachi so that's to be expected.

"Well I thought we did!"

Inuyasha's pillow shifts and hey, it's Kouga. At first he thinks he's smiling but he's all upside down so it's actually a frown. Wow, drunk much? Inuyasha closes his eyes. He can hear how unhappy his best friend is though when he says, "No, we did this because we went on an _adventure_."

Inuyasha nods along because that's fucking right. It's an adventure.

"That and because it's only three-thirty," Miroku adds, and huh, look at the time. "So that sun isn't coming up for another couple hours at least. Sorry, friend."

Naraku sighs.

For a few minutes, beautiful silence stretches between them. Inuyasha's incredibly relaxed and he's actually getting sleepy. Kouga is far too comfortable. He should probably open his eyes.

Probably.

He doesn't.

* * *

Kouga is his best friend. His bestest of friends.

Miroku wanted to leave him to wake up alone on the rooftop. Apparently that would've been funny.

But his best friend – his bestest best friend – says no and wakes him up. He even helps Inuyasha get down.

Considering all of them are still massively drunk, it's a feat that they got out of the whole adventure with only a few sore asses and two twinging wrists.

* * *

Some days are really hard.

The new semester is, without a doubt, kicking his ass. It's practically a massacre. Simply walking places is painful; his feet feel like lead, like they know his destination is only going to make things worse. And Inuyasha knows that he's losing weight; time wasted at the grocery store is better spent writing the ninth page of his goddam essay. He knows – _he freaking knows_ – that eight times out of ten, he goes to class with his hair tangled and puffy eyes. Miroku, on several occasions, has accidentally walked into him and screamed. So it can't be a good look but Inuyasha's frankly too exhausted to care. He just needs to get through this week. By then, he'll have finished a test, a quiz and will have handed in three essays. Then he has a week to catch up and get ahead.

He can do it. He knows he can.

But some days are just really, really hard.

* * *

Inuyasha's walking down the hallway towards yet another class. It's Tuesday.

Freaking Tuesday. But only one more week, right?

And even though it's already been a solid month of classes, this is the very first time that he's heard her voice like this, calling his name is a massive, rushing crowd of students trying to get from A to B. "Inuyasha! Hey!"

"Kagome," he says embarrassingly since he didn't mean to say her name out loud like that. Like it's a fucking miracle and he's so damn happy.

But she's smiling up at him enormously, her one hand gripping the strap of her bag. "Running to class?" she asks.

"Yeah," he replies, voice gravelly. Ew, god, can't he just have a break? One single moment of easiness and happiness?

But Kagome either doesn't notice or completely ignores it. She nods and gestures with a hand towards the opposite direction. "Me too. Consumer Behaviour, but it's actually not a bad one. The prof is cool."

His professor is about three centuries old and sniffles every five seconds. So.

"I'll see you later, right?" Kagome asks, all earnest and happy.

"Yeah," he answers, unable to stop the twitch of his own lips.

And, okay, let's be honest. He said a total of three words (and yeah, two of them were _yeah_ ) and he looks like death incarnate and now he's going to be late for class. But now his feet don't feel as heavy and he's kind of smiling at absolutely nothing.

Other days are really easy.

* * *

At first, Inuyasha thinks the whole studying together thing is just out of sheer convenience. Kagome had archery practice until eight p.m. and he always had dinner in Commons with Miroku until he had class. It gave him an hour of downtime where he either studied in the library or played games on his phone, but afterwards, he'd trek to Viscount Gym and meet Kagome before practice ended. She'd apologize for running late, he'd pick up her bag, and the two of them would exit the gym and go somewhere to study.

So maybe it wasn't really convenience at all. Walking outside in the winter and waiting for an hour in a library wasn't exactly the definition of 'convenient' but whatever.

Regardless, it is a thing that is now definitely a thing. In two instances, he's told his other groups for different class projects that he's busy at that time, unable to meet them.

It's probably bad.

He doesn't care.

 _Whut do u even do that late?_ Kai, one of his group members for a policy class, texts him.

Inuyasha barely hesitates to respond, _other shit._

"Ugh, hi, sorry I'm late," Kagome apologizes – again – as she starts to put away her bow. Her arms are flushed, red from muscle exertion, but she's always so damn happy. "The tournament's coming up in a month and the boys' is a week before the girls'. But since I'm senior on the team I'll be going to both to help out and co-coach."

"Bye Kagome!" one of the other archers calls out, waving as he heads out the door.

She waves back but doesn't take her eyes off of Inuyasha. His stomach flips and that can't be a good thing. Maybe he's getting sick. "It's kind of fun because the tournaments are great to meet other archers but it's so much work. It's yet another weekend of mine gone."

"Can you at least study while you're there?" Inuyasha asks, for nothing better to say.

Kagome shrugs. "On the bus, yeah. It's a three hour drive. During the actual tournament though probably not. Too much going on." She closes her case and stands up. It's routine enough by now that she doesn't even argue when Inuyasha grabs her other bag. "Thank god ours is here this year."

"And you want to win gold, right?" he asks, nudging her slightly. That's another thing that they do, kind of. The nudges. The touching-but-not-really thing. That thing.

So many things.

"Uh." Kagome seems caught off guard with the question and it actually throws him off how awkward she suddenly looks. It's like she's embarrassed, shrugging and turning red. "Yes?"

This isn't the Kagome he knows. Not the girl that dances in stupid outfits for the Maroons at football games, and who flits along from person to person at parties without a care. "Since when do you become all shy and shit?" Normally, he wouldn't care enough to ask but this is _Kagome_.

"I'm not– I'm not _shy_ ," she insists, nudging into him harder to make him stumble slightly. "I don't– Sango says I have this weird reaction when it comes to talking about things I want."

And that makes no fucking sense whatsoever. "What?"

"Ugh," Kagome groans out, all dramatic and sprawling. She even hits him in the chest. "I'm not talking about this."

"Uh, yeah you are," Inuyasha pushes. "What else are we going to talk about on the way to your place?"

She rolls her eyes. "Anything else."

Inuyasha stares at her, waiting.

"Oh!" Kagome lights up, smacking him on the arm lightly. "Miroku mentioned that you're going back home this weekend. That will be fun, right?"

And he knows that this is exactly the kind of material that he needs to ignore so as not to waver, but damn it, he takes the bait. "Fun?" He practically spits the word out. "You don't know Sesshomaru."

"Your brother?"

"Half-brother," he corrects, automatically. Inuyasha sighs. "It'll be fine, I guess. It's for Myoga's birthday and I'm pretty sure we're having this company come in to cook a big meal. I don't know. Sesshomaru's planning the whole thing."

Kagome is nodding along like every bit of this information is going to be tested later. "Just the three of you?"

"I think so. Not sure who else would be crazy enough to join us." He shrugs, looking at the entrance to Corner House as they walk by, envious because all he wants is to be warm but they said they were going to study at Kagome's place. Sango was there and Miroku would swing by later; it was going to be a study party.

Miroku's words. Not his.

They walk in silence for a bit, the cold wind enough to make Kagome tuck into her scarf and dig her hands deeper into her pockets. Inuyasha strangely finds this irritating, mainly because he thinks about New Year's Eve and how her arm had been around his and–

And he needs to get a grip, fucking seriously.

"Are you coming to the Valentine's party?" Inuyasha asks. It's the only thing that comes to mind; Hachi's whining and moaning about it heard across the household on a daily basis.

Kagome raises a brow at him. "Yeah, of course. Sango's been talking about it forever."

That's surprising. "Really?" he asks. "Didn't take her to be so…into Valentine's?" Because everyone knows it's a holiday for no reason. It's an excuse, is what it is. In Corner House's opinion, it's an excuse to party and drink a lot and potentially make some unwise choices about spending the night alone.

…And vice versa.

"No, _ha_ , oh god," Kagome giggles, shaking her head. "Sorry, I meant because of Shippo."

Inuyasha stares at her. It's not getting any clearer.

"I mean–" She takes a deep breath, nudges him just to be irritating. "Shippo will find out if he's staying in Corner House the day of the party and Sango's mainly the one that encouraged him to try. I think she's more annoyed by the wait than he is." Kagome nudges at him again, but this time it's so she can punch in the code to get into their apartment building. The door buzzes and clicks, and then the two of them are finally inside and away from the bitter cold. Fucking February.

"Well, if it makes her feel any better, I think Hachi is planning on letting the new people know before the party. Some kind of party game or whatever." Inuyasha had only been partially listening to the engineer's mad ramble in the kitchen. He had been innocently eating a sandwich with Kouga when he walked in, talking to himself about flying hearts, rubber arrows and diapers. "I didn't get exact details." He'd been too scared to.

"Good, you can tell her that if Miroku hasn't already," Kagome sighs.

"Miroku's here already?" Inuyasha asks, surprised.

Kagome nods. "Yeah, his class ended early. The prof was sick and the TA could only teach part of the lesson. Sango said they have cheese and crackers ready for us inside, but that was twenty minutes ago."

Completely ignoring the food part, Inuyasha frowns. "Sango and Miroku are inside the apartment alone."

"Well, obviously." Kagome gives him a weird look as she takes out her keys, starting to unlock the deadbolt. "They're just studying in the living room."

There's a couch in the living room. Inuyasha knows that for a fact because he's been to their place a few times. And if there's a couch… "You should probably close your eyes," he says.

It doesn't lessen the strange look she's giving him at all. In fact, it gets worse. "What?"

"You'll see." Inuyasha takes a deep breath as she opens the door, and then the two of them step inside.

"Hey!" Sango calls out happily. "Come eat this cheese before I eat it all and get fat."

Inuyasha frowns. He takes off his shoes quickly and peers into the living room, noticing right away that Sango and Miroku are indeed both on the couch, but they're on opposite ends of it, books and papers scattered between them. They're wearing _clothes_. "What?" he demands, a little too loud for the apartment. "Why are you both still dressed?"

Kagome makes a choking sound behind him, one that quickly turns into mad giggles as the couple looks at him in bewilderment.

"You want us to be…naked?" Miroku asks, confused.

"What? No!" Inuyasha replies hurriedly. "But, you're both–" He waves at him. "Dressed."

"Generally, we are," Sango states. Thank god she only looks mildly amused and not at all horrified. Again, Inuyasha is immediately thankful for her and how awesome she is. He is never, ever going to say that out loud but in the safety of this thoughts, he doesn't mind admitting such.

He scoffs anyways because he has a reputation to uphold. "Not when I enter homes innocently to find you both on the couch."

"Ah." Miroku at least has the decency to look a little sheepish. "But that was _your_ fault–"

"Oh, is this when you walked in on them?" Kagome asks gleefully. She grins widely from him to her roommate, doing a little shimmy dance in Sango's direction. It's awful.

He shouldn't find her remotely attractive.

He does.

Very much so.

This, too, is awful.

"Did voyeurism up the sexy factor?" Kagome asks, now practically on top of her friend.

Sango is getting redder by the second and she bats her friend away. "No! Oh my god, no! We promised to never talk about this! Miroku!"

"I told him!" Miroku yells back, pointing at Inuyasha. "It's all him!"

"Told me what?" Inuyasha asks, just as loud. "You never said anything to me about it! You only asked if I saw her naked!"

There's a sound that mimics an animal dying. Sango is now burying her face into the arm of the couch. "This isn't happening."

"And you _didn't_ ," Miroku bites back, eyes as wide as saucers as he glares, communicating nonverbally _shut the fuck up, shut the fuck up_.

'We both know the truth,' Inuyasha mouths at him, unhappy. Because yeah, Miroku covered up a lot – and he needs to bleach his brain, fucking seriously – but not _everything_.

Miroku makes overly aggressive swatting motions at him, mouthing 'fuck you' over and over.

"This is great," Kagome says finally, eyeing the two of them. "This is the perfect environment for some serious studying. I'm so glad we planned this."

"Kill me," Sango groans, still not coming out of the couch's arm.

Inuyasha takes off his backpack and starts to get out his laptop. "Miroku is clearly the problem here." He doesn't look his best friend in the face though because he's sure – like, 200 percent sure – that he's being flipped off.

The avoidance, in actual fact, does help him study. He barely lifts his eyes from the computer screen.

* * *

Inuyasha debates turning the car around.

"Yes, _for the last time_ , I'm on the way," he all but growls, glaring out the windshield. He'd much rather glare at Sesshomaru instead but he's talking to the asshole over the car's Bluetooth, and as such, has no way to do so. When he gets to that house though, the bastard's going to get it.

"Your track record makes you unreliable," Sesshomaru replies, like he's reading some transcript. "And Rin gave the chef very specific times."

Inuyasha makes a face at the blue Honda in front of him. The license plate reads _FULOFLYF_. Like, really, who gives a fuck. "Who the hell is Rin?"

For the first time since Inuyasha made the grave mistake of answering his phone, there's a long pause. Too long. "Don't be late," Sesshomaru finally answers – or not answers – and then promptly hangs up.

What a fucking _dick_.

* * *

Myoga's massive grin greets him as he pulls up. The old man is standing in the doorway, arms crossed against the cold. He's wearing a sweater that should be burned it's that ugly, but Inuyasha's sure it's his favourite sweater. For a man as smart as he is, Inuyasha doesn't understand why Myoga can't buy anything reasonably normal.

He grabs his backpack of stuff for the weekend and gets out. He barely makes it to the front step before Myoga is on him, giving him a hug. "What a surprise!" the old man says cheerfully, pulling back and holding him at arm's length. "Sesshomaru only told me moments ago."

"Happy birthday," Inuyasha replies, smirking. "How does it feel being another year older?"

"It's not so bad," Myoga states, shrugging. They head back towards the house. "It was kind of fun being sixty-nine though." He laughs suddenly, like it's the best kind of joke and Inuyasha can't help the horrified expression that comes over his face. That kind of shit he expects from _Miroku_ , not the man who raised him.

"Please tell me you haven't said that to anyone else," Inuyasha asks. His phone vibrates suddenly in his pocket so while he's trying to kick off his shoes, he's distracted by the message.

It's Kouga. _Did you eat my sandwich?_

 _Nope_. He ate on the drive over. A sandwich would have been far more delicious though. Maybe next time he can coax the soccer star into making him one.

"Who's that?" Myoga asks suddenly, forcing Inuyasha to look up.

"Just my friend," he replies, shrugging. His phone goes off again. _Fuuuuck, someone is lying to me. Better not be u._

 _Fuck u_ , he types back. He's grinning a little, but whatever.

"Is it that Miroku guy? The one with the girlfriend, right?" Myoga presses.

Inuyasha shakes his head and slips his phone back into his jeans. "No, another guy I live with. Makes delicious sandwiches." The old man stops in the middle of the hall and it's a weird enough movement that Inuyasha does the same, looking back. "What?"

Myoga's still grinning but he seems even happier for some reason. "Nothing. Let's find your brother, shall we?"

He swallows down the common retort on the tip of his tongue. It's Myoga's birthday after all. Inuyasha figures he can play nice for the weekend. "So," he starts, "what have you and Sessho–"

" _Oh my god_ , you're such a liar! You two look a _lot_ alike."

This is not a voice he knows and that is definitely not a face he recognizes. Inuyasha probably isn't doing a great job concealing the alarm on his face but there's a really short, pretty attractive woman steadily approaching him and he doesn't know what to do.

"Hi!" the woman greets, holding out her hand enthusiastically. Her smile is massive. "I'm Rin. It's nice to finally meet you!"

He shakes her hand, only because any other option would make this even _more_ awkward. "Hi," he replies, a tad slower than normal. "Inuyasha."

"Obviously," Rin says, rolling her eyes. "I've heard so much about you!" That's very clearly a lie because when Inuyasha sneaks a glance at Sesshomaru, his older half-sibling is staring up at the ceiling like its exasperated him beyond belief. This tiny person in front of him doesn't seem to notice, or doesn't actually care, because she bulldozes on. "How was the drive? Were the roads okay?"

So many questions. Inuyasha blinks, trying to swallow down the panic. No one has been this confrontational with him since Kagome wiggled into his space that awful Wednesday morning. "Uh, it was okay. There wasn't that much snow."

"It's been pretty mild," Rin agrees and then claps her hands, looking at Myoga. "So Sesshomaru didn't ruin the surprise after all?"

"No," Myoga responds. "And I'm quite excited for this dinner. What are they making again?"

Rin smiles and leads him into the kitchen, chatting away with a bubbly sort of energy that's making Inuyasha tired just looking at her. When the two of them leave, Sesshomaru clears his throat.

It makes him smirk. "So," he says slowly. He feels rather smug. "That's Rin, huh?"

Sesshomaru's jaw is tight but he's looking right back at him. "Yes. She's in the middle of a co-op, working alongside one of our major partners."

"Ah," Inuyasha replies. This just keeps getting better. "Met through work, huh?"

"Stop saying 'huh,' it makes you sound daft." Sesshomaru gestures with a hand for them to fully enter the living room and sit, so Inuyasha obliges, only because this conversation is entertaining as fuck. "Yes, Rin and I met through our respective workplaces. She's intelligent."

"She's _chatty_ ," Inuyasha insists. He's pretty sure he couldn't remove the smirk from his face even if he tried. "She's like the fucking Energizer Bunny. And you–" Inuyasha waves at him up and down. That explains everything perfectly.

Sesshomaru makes a noise that's not a sigh, since he's not human but rather Satan's incarnate. "She enjoys discussion."

Inuyasha scoffs. " _Discussion_ , holy shit. What lab did you come from?"

His half-brother doesn't respond and so the two of them sit on opposing couches, just staring at each other. It's not angry or pitying, so it's better than virtually every other time he's been in this house. Maybe they're on a clean slate after all.

"Would you like some scotch?" Sesshomaru asks suddenly, standing up.

"Sure," he replies, easily enough. Then he smirks again, wickedly. "And then when you get back, we can discuss how old she is because I may not be a CEO like you, but I didn't miss the fact that you said _co-op_."

This time, Sesshomaru most definitely sighs.

What a fucking achievement. He basically just won gold.

* * *

They're just finishing their first finger of scotch when Myoga and Rin walk back in. Myoga's laughing happily and his mood doesn't sour at all when he sees them both. Getting along for the sake of the old man is almost like a birthday present in and of itself.

"Catching up?" Myoga asks. "How's school, Inuyasha?"

"It's okay," he replies. "It's one of my harder semesters but I have an easy class to try and balance it all out."

"Like what?" Rin asks, sitting down on the couch beside Sesshomaru. They're close enough that they're pressing together, but not enough that Inuyasha would consider it cuddling, not like Miroku and Sango do.

"It's a mythology class. We're finishing up Norse mythology right now and soon we'll be moving on to Greek and Roman."

Myoga frowns. "Wouldn't that be a lot of memorization? Doesn't seem too easy."

"It's better than essays," he points out. "Which is all I do. Plus I study with a friend from class every week so it's pretty easy."

"You and all these friends!" Myoga exclaims. Oh god, he's looks pleased as fucking punch. He should have said nothing. "Who is this one? What's their name?"

Did he not talk about friends before, ever? Inuyasha can only assume that he didn't, considering the look of sheer joy on the caretaker's face. It's kind of hard to regret having a conversation like this then. "Just another friend," he tries. It's weak, even to his own ears.

Sesshomaru leans forward, blank face too firmly in place. Oh, fuck. "It's a girl."

"Fuck off," Inuyasha replies. What a _bitch_ , throwing him under the bus.

Myoga doesn't even comment on his language, he just claps happily. Oh god, this is even worse than he ever imagined. "A girl!"

"You're all acting like he's never had a girlfriend before," Rin exclaims. And Inuyasha knows that she's trying to be nice and defend him but in actuality, she made it _a gazillion_ times worse.

Sesshomaru looks down at her and says, "He hasn't."

Rin blinks those big brown eyes at first his half-brother, and then at him. " _No_ , really?"

"What's her name?" Myoga presses.

This is terrible. This is _horrible_. "Kagome," he mutters darkly. He looks at his glass, wishes there was more scotch in it. Finished it too soon. If only he had known.

"You should have brought her," Myoga exclaims. "I would have been so happy to meet her!"

"Oh my god, we're not even together yet." Inuyasha doesn't know how much more of this he can take.

"So what's the plan then?" Rin asks, leaning forward, all wide-eyed and curious. "When are you going to ask her out?"

"I don't–"

"Excuse me," a light, female voice says from the living room doorway. All four of them turn to look and it must be the chef they hired because she's dressed in the uniform, white shirt impeccably clean. "But if you'd like to take your seats, we're ready to serve."

"Fantastic," Inuyasha announces, standing up. "I'm hungry. Are you not hungry? Let's eat."

And it may be cowardly. And he may not win any brownie points.

But he avoids that conversation, and it's a fucking miracle.

* * *

He should have known better.

He really should have.

* * *

"So, how are you going to ask Kagome out?" Rin asks the very moment Inuyasha shoves a massive piece of chocolate cake in his mouth. On the positive side, it gives him a couple moments to think. On the negative side, he nearly chokes on it.

"Wow," he stutters out, still partially choking. "You ask that like you've known me for years."

"No, just curious," she replies, unrepentant.

Inuyasha purposefully takes a very large bite of cake and stares at her while he eats it.

"Can we discuss _anything_ else?" Sesshomaru asks, barely containing his dismay. Pointing a fork at his half-brother, Inuyasha continues to chew, and chew, and chew. Fucking right.

They talk about alpacas instead. Inuyasha has no idea why, or how. But he goes with it.

* * *

Rin doesn't stay late. Inuyasha feels only a little bit bad that he actually feels relieved by it; she's new, and this whole being-home situation is new. He needs time to adjust to one before getting thrown into the other. The chef has already left with her team and even though the kitchen is spotless, Myoga insists that they all sit in there while he tidies up some more. Mostly the old man talks, mentioning things about his upcoming plans or telling them stories about his past. Sesshomaru remains silent throughout so Inuyasha makes it his responsibility to sound as encouraging as possible.

When Myoga decides he's going to bed, wishing them goodnight before shuffling off, Inuyasha can't help but give his half-brother a look. "Really?"

"Don't speak to me in that tone. I don't care for it," Sesshomaru replies. "Scotch?"

"Beer," Inuyasha counters firmly.

His half-brother's face doesn't even twitch, but he knows deep down if Sesshomaru was an actual human being, he'd be grimacing. "Get it yourself."

He groans but gets up, finding a couple in the fridge. Inuyasha has no idea how long they've been in there but he opens one anyways. It can't be that bad. "All I wanted to say was that it's his seventieth birthday. You could've sounded a little more intrigued by what he was saying."

"I was intrigued," Sesshomaru replies. "But trust me, he wasn't going to stop if I didn't make those elephant noises every thirty seconds like you."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. Prays for death. "How do you have a girlfriend?"

"The same as most. By asking." Sesshomaru pours himself a couple fingers of scotch and then sits back down at the kitchen island. "It came to my attention that you're uncomfortable about talks of dating. Blatantly so."

"What, you want to comment on my love life too? Fuck off." Inuyasha takes a long swallow of beer and doesn't think about Corner House at all. Jesus Christ, but he fucking misses it not even twenty-four hours away.

"I'm commenting on your lack thereof. Speak properly." Somehow, Sesshomaru manages to look down his nose at him even though his older half-brother is sitting. How the fuck he does it is beyond him. What a dick. What an asshole.

Inuyasha lets out a frustrated breath and purposely looks away while sitting down at the opposite end of the island. He considers his options, considers other conversations he could have, and then thinks, _fuck it_. Personally, he'd rather be a little more drunk. Beggars can't be choosers and all that. "How did you–" Even those three words, and Inuyasha knows it's a bad fucking idea.

Carefully, he looks over at Sesshomaru, who has an eyebrow poised in a deep arch. What a fucking fucker. He looks like a tool.

Whatever. No matter what Inuyasha says, he could never be as dumb as that. "How did you figure out Rin liked you enough to go out with you?"

There is a very long, horrible pause, in which Inuyasha debates throwing his beer bottle at Sesshomaru's head and hoping for the best. He can't even look at him, oh fuck. Inuyasha was wrong, so wrong. He could easily be as dumb as Sesshomaru's dumb eyebrow arch, what the ever-loving fuck.

"Rin wasn't exactly–" Sesshomaru pauses uncharacteristically. "…Subtle."

Inuyasha huffs. Great. All of that embarrassment for nothing. "She doesn't seem like she would be."

His half-brother tilts his head in acknowledgement. "There are signals," he says. "Figure them out. I thought you were passing your classes. Surely asking out a girl can't be harder than maintaining an A average."

"And that's where you're wrong, asshole," Inuyasha replies, pointing at him. "Because I can't figure out for the life of me what the fuck this girl wants. And worse – _worse_ – is the fact that I think she _may_ be interested and that brings up a bunch of other questions."

Sesshomaru stares in a mean kind of way. His hand tightens slightly on the tumbler of scotch. Inuyasha thinks wildly for a moment that Sesshomaru doesn't know what to do with this brotherly talk, and it's probably freaking him the fuck out. Which, in Sesshomaru-speak, translates into an angry looking stare. But Inuyasha isn't going to stop now. They're fucking half-brothers. They have a clean slate, or whatever.

So he keeps going. "The biggest question I have is _why_. It makes no sense. She's outgoing and shit. She likes talking to people. She's on a sports team that competes and has hundreds of Instagram followers and dances in terrible maroon overalls to bring school spirit."

His half-brother blinks again.

"And I'm not like that. At all. So she has to be fucking crazy," he finishes, tapping his index finger with his temple to get his point across. He takes a breath and then a long swig of beer. He's only halfway done the first but Jesus, he's going to need a second. Emotional shit is hard. He wouldn't even be talking about any of it if it wasn't so confusing.

Miroku's no help. He just shakes his head and rolls his eyes, like a true asshole who is already in a relationship and thinks he knows everything.

"There are signals," Sesshomaru repeats, breaking the _extremely awkward_ silence.

It doesn't get any less awkward. Inuyasha looks at him incredulously. "Didn't you just say that?" Did his asshole, dickheaded half-brother not just hear a _word_ that came out of his mouth?

"Frankly, I'm surprised you're not failing out of university." Sesshomaru gives that sharp stare again, even while finishing another sip of his drink. "Your statement that this Kagome person is crazy because of your opposing characteristics has zero bearing on the makings of an actual relationship. You witnessed this evening a prime example to disprove your flagrant stupidity." Standing up, Sesshomaru takes one last gulp and then places the glass by the sink. He starts to leave and says a very final, "Goodnight."

Well.

Holy shit.

Inuyasha has never been more shook in his entire life.

* * *

 **Next Time on** _ **Tell Me I'm Crazy**_ _ **:**_ Kagome smiles, leaning a little closer. "What, you don't know this?" she asks, teasing. And this is brutally unfair, is what it is, because while he knows she's talking about something completely different, his mind can't help but wander into the danger zone of feelings.

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _wakiia:_ Thank you so much! Um, that's a good question. Probably at least 2-3 more chapters/parts left. We're almost there!

 _Fuzzywazam:_ I know, I know! But there's not that much left in the story, so it is soon – I promise! Thank you dear :D

 _Mal:_ Wow, thank you so much! I worry a lot about characterization. I know my AU-ness tends to create some OOCs, which is not really my intention. But different situations call for different reactions and I think a Miroku who goes to university and lives a normal life would act a bit differently from a Miroku who's family was curse and who knew he was one day going to die and ahhhhhh feelings. So yes. Thank you thank you love!

 _ThatGirl:_ You're so sweet! Yes, I like to think that it's part of his charm :D His temper is apparent in this chapter and in the next ones too. HA. Can't really get over it I guess! Thanks so much for your kinds words.

 _YourNumberONEFAN:_ Awww my dear! And I totally failed with updating this too. I'm so sorry! Well, I hope you liked this chapter. There was…some progress?! Maybe? Kind of? Kind of. Anyways! More progress is definitely to come and I hope the big moment doesn't disappoint. You're a dear. Thank you love!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** My boo boo caused me to add another 10 pages to the story. So. At least I don't half-ass fix my mistakes?

 **Feedback is love.**


	11. Part XI

**Author's Note:** I finished editing this story in full and realized that I hated the ending. So, long story short, I completely rewrote it and had to make massive changes to this chapter and everything going forward. Hence, the super long delay. I'll try to be faster.

 **There's information on my new soon-to-be live website at the bottom, for those who are interested.**

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part XI**

* * *

"So," Kagome says while they wait for the professor to start class. It's Monday afternoon and it's his third class of the day. Mythology, at least, is pretty easy to follow. "How was your weekend?"

Thinking of the weekend brings back memories of speaking with Sesshomaru, who he more or less ignored all of Sunday. Inuyasha had a hard time looking him in the eye. In what goddamn universe did he think asking for relationship advice from _him_ of all people would be a great idea?

"It was good," he responds with anyways. There's no way in hell he's going to mention any of this to Kagome. "Myoga was happy. Met my half-brother's girlfriend; that was fucking weird."

To her credit, Kagome only laughs at him. "Why?"

"Because he's not human and she's very normal." Inuyasha is stopped from saying more by Bankotsu entering their row. Normally the guy passes him to sit on the other side of Kagome, where there are bunch more seats.

This time, Bankotsu takes the last seat right beside Inuyasha, sighing in relief. "I'm so fucking tired."

Kagome leans over, frowning. "Is Jakotsu not coming?"

"No, he's not really fit for the public," Bankotsu replies, shaking his head. "His words, not mine. He broke up with his boyfriend and it did not end well. They were screaming at each other on the phone all night." Well, at least the exhaustion was explained.

Kagome's still leaning over, which means she's in his space more so than usual. Her hand is on the arm rest, but her fingers are lightly over his leg. Which. Which.

Shouldn't be a big deal. But it makes his stomach flip anyways, and Jesus, this isn't an illness this is stupid butterflies because he _likes her_. He genuinely likes her and it hasn't gone away, not one bit. In fact, Inuyasha would bet that it's gotten worse.

The professor calls attention to the front of the room so the three of them can't speak anymore. Inuyasha manages to tear his eyes away from Kagome and the way her concerned face is overly endearing. "That sucks," he offers quietly, shrugging at Bankotsu.

"I'm not overly sympathetic, given how I didn't fall asleep until three in the morning," the guy replies, "but yeah. I'm probably going to buy a case a beer to bring back tonight, just in case." He pauses, watches as the professor brings up a section filled with words Inuyasha barely understands. "If I fall asleep, can I borrow your notes?" Bankotsu asks, somewhat sheepishly.

"Yeah, man," Inuyasha responds with, nodding. "No problem."

* * *

The thing is–

The thing is.

While there are days like that, where she's all in his space and Inuyasha thinks to himself that this is possible, that this is a thing that's going to happen and fuck everything else–

There are also days where the opposite is true.

It's not like he has a monopoly on her and he's well fucking aware of that, thank you very much. But it's Tuesday and normally Kagome walks right by him in the hallway and smiles at him and shit. They talk for all of two minutes but it's nice.

Today, however, is not that kind of Tuesday apparently because Kagome's walking down the hall with some random guy Inuyasha's never seen before and she doesn't even _look_ for him. She's aptly listening to whatever the guy is saying to her. And that's–

Again, he doesn't have a fucking monopoly and it's not like he's demanding her time. It's just.

Well.

He's overthinking this, right?

* * *

Right?

* * *

"Hey," Inuyasha mumbles, sliding into the seat beside Kagome in Commons. She's there with Miroku and Sango already, the three of them eating food and chatting happily. He had dinner a while ago so he's just there to relax. Miroku had texted him with a demand to come and seven eggplant emojis. It was a travesty.

"Hey!" Sango cheers. "How was class?"

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. Questions like that don't deserve an answer.

"At least he missed Naraku's boxers splitting open on a particularly intense yoga pose back at home," Miroku says sadly, staring down at his plate like the food is going to make him feel better.

Inuyasha blinks. "What?"

His best friend looks up at him, blue eyes pleading. "Don't make me say it again," he whispers.

"You poor, poor thing," Kagome coos, bursting into laughter when Miroku turns to look at her. "At least he's in good shape?"

"That means _nothing_."

"So does that mean you're staying at their place tonight?" Inuyasha asks.

Sango snorts. "Yeah right. I've got to study. His ass is staying with you."

Winking, Miroku says, "We can cuddle if I can't sleep."

If he thinks for one second that cuddling is even a possibility, Inuyasha will be sure to set him straight instantly, pun truly not intended. "That was one time and all on you. _You_ wanted to cuddle!" Sure, they were hung over but Inuyasha was perfectly content to be alone. "If I'm taking anyone to bed, it sure as shit isn't you."

Miroku wiggles his eyebrows. "Even if I put out?"

Bursting into a fit of laughter that sounds a lot more like choking, Sango leans into her boyfriend like him cheating on her is hilarious. "Inuyasha would rather have anyone else putting out in his bed but _you,_ babe," she says, grinning.

And that's not entirely true, he has _standards_. Inuyasha looks over at Kagome, hoping for some sort of sympathy but she's simply staring at her food, not even trying to seem involved in the conversation any longer. It's weird. Really weird. His gaze falls to Sango, who is also staring at Kagome with an odd look on her face, like she sees what's happening and doesn't get it either.

Carefully, he nudges Kagome lightly in the side. It's the thing they do, right? This is normal. "Hey, you okay?" he asks.

Giving him a quick smile, Kagome nods. "Yeah, no I'm good." Usually, she would lean into his space a bit. This time, she actually leans _away_.

He's not _hurt_. He's not a fucking flower.

But Inuyasha is suddenly not so keen on Miroku's joking either. Maybe he's not overthinking this at all.

* * *

Inuyasha is pretty sure he's not having a crisis or anything. It's nothing that serious. It couldn't be. People fall in and out of love and flirt and tease and act coy all the time. Really, Inuyasha thinks, the only reason this is such a big deal is because he's never been potentially serious about anyone before.

Reaching into the box of cookies, Inuyasha pulls out another and stuffs it into his mouth without ceremony.

He tries to lay it out in his mind. He likes Kagome a fair bit. Enough that dating her is definitely on the table. Long-term dating, as well, would be preferred. Kagome sends what Inuyasha can only determine are mixed signals. Sometimes she's so close to him he figures there's no way she's not at least interested. But there are other times that she looks at him and seems standoffish. Her smile is forced, or she'll back away quickly.

But she doesn't _leave him alone_ , so it's all very confusing.

A part of him thinks he should just ask her out. Get it over with.

Inuyasha grabs another cookie, stares at it in front of his face. There are so many chunks of chocolate. Best fucking dinner ever.

Then again, being wrong would be horrifying. Further than that, Inuyasha has a really hard time figuring out what would happen after. After they start dating, how exactly would that work?

He thinks then about that day a while back, when he and Kagome were walking back to her place. The way she got all shy and awkward, how she avoided the conversation. Sango thinks she doesn't like talking about what she wants. If that's true, how the fuck is Inuyasha ever supposed to know?

"Hey," Miroku says, bounding into his bedroom. Privacy does not exist in Corner House; Inuyasha was wrong to assume there was even a chance. "Want to play some COD?"

"Why couldn't you have come in here earlier?" Inuyasha whines before taking a bite out of the cookie.

His best friend grins. "Don't tell me that's your dinner. You have a car, dumbass. Drive somewhere."

"Like where?"

Miroku scrunches up his face, horrified because bits of cookie spewed out of his mouth when he asked. "God, you're gross. I don't know, _anywhere_. Fuck, McDonald's is just around the corner. It's not exactly prime health food but at least you're getting some protein."

Inuyasha sighs, lays his head back down on his pillow to stare at the ceiling. It seems like too much work. "Nah."

"Oh good, you're moping. It's my favourite version of you," Miroku says sarcastically. Inuyasha can hear his best friend approach, then said best friend is standing over him looking unimpressed. "What's going on in that stupid head of yours?"

"Nothing."

"Ah yes, because that's why you look constipated."

"Fuck off."

"Drive me to dinner, bitch." Miroku flicks Inuyasha on the nose and jumps away just in time to avoid being punched. "Come on. Let's take that beautiful, shiny car for a spin."

In the end, he doesn't need much convincing. He's still hungry despite the row of cookies he had eaten and Miroku's grin is hard to ignore. They're in the car, giving it a moment to warm up while Miroku syncs his phone to it. Inuyasha doesn't question it but it becomes immediately apparent that he should have when the first few strains of rap music comes out the speakers. "Tell me you didn't make a playlist."

"Okay then," Miroku replies. He reaches over and turns the volume way up, until the bass is pounding and Inuyasha fears for his speakers. He tries, unsuccessfully, to turn it down but Miroku only smacks him, grinning. "Come on, live a little."

"I'm going to go deaf," Inuyasha exclaims.

Miroku's grin just gets larger and he nods. Well then.

It's almost embarrassing, truly. Inuyasha starts driving towards McDonald's and Miroku rolls down the window. _In February_. It's not warm enough. It is not. But there are groups of students around and Miroku probably thinks he looks cool, the passenger in a really nice car with super loud music playing.

"We just seem like assholes," Inuyasha says, loudly enough to be heard over the music.

Miroku laughs. "I seem like one. _You_ actually are, buttercup."

"I hate you."

His best friend makes kissing faces at him. It's a wonder Inuyasha doesn't kick him out of the car. The thought crosses his mind, especially when they pull into the parking lot and some people give them the side-eye. It's a bit past dinnertime but Inuyasha can see the children inside, the parents wrangling them to sitting. In no way does he want to be a part of that, especially when Miroku is acting like this. He knows they'll get kicked out for sure, so he makes the executive decision to take the drive-thru. Miroku doesn't say anything about it, not after their order or while they're waiting. It's not until Inuyasha has their bag of food in hand as he pulls into a parking space literally five steps away from the main entrance that he does.

"So, want me all to yourself, huh?"

Inuyasha looks over, staring directly at Miroku's glinting blue eyes and waggling eyebrows. Ugh, he's a horrible person. "More worried about you traumatizing the children." He gets out their burgers and dumps the fries in the bag.

"Shit, did you hear what happened to Hakkaku at the gym? With those kids?"

"No," Inuyasha replies, not caring that he's chewing with his mouth open.

Miroku snorts. "Apparently there was some tour and there were little kids involved. Hakkaku has no fucking idea but he'd just finished at the gym, bag in hand, out of the shower. He'd stepped outside and someone texted him, so he stopped to answer it–"

"What, he can't do both?" Inuyasha interjects.

" _And so_ this little kid, I shit you not, saw him and then told his dad, 'don't you go to the gym to get big and strong?'" Unable to help himself, Miroku starts giggling, even as he finishes. "He then walked over to Hakkaku and said, apparently so fucking serious, 'You need to go back in. It didn't work this time.'"

Inuyasha chuckles. "I can see Hakkaku's face now. What the fuck did he say to that?"

"He _ran_!"

Something about that is even funnier, so much so that Inuyasha accidentally whacks the car horn and scares the shit out of both of them. An old man leaving the McDonald's gives them an annoyed look.

"Also, in other news, I'm going to die next weekend," Miroku continues, going for a fry. "I'm meeting Sango's family for dinner."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "We both know Sango wouldn't let that happen. She fucking likes you too much, which is beyond anyone's understanding."

"You're so mean."

"Fuck off."

"But probably right," Miroku concludes, nodding. "No one will ever satisfy her like I do."

Groaning, Inuyasha makes sure to throw his salty fry at his best friend's face. "Ew, Jesus Christ, don't say shit like that. I'll have flashbacks."

"To the couch?" Miroku's grinning now and it's _not fucking funny_.

"I'm scarred for life."

"That's okay. When I catch you and Kagome screwing on the couch, I promise I won't cry about it like you did."

The thought of Miroku being anywhere near him while he's having sex is even more revolting. Miroku is – while understandably attractive – his best friend. And while Ginta and Hakkaku are totally cool bros who may or may not be a little too close, that is _so_ not them.

"Wow, man, I didn't think you could look so unhappy at the thought of banging Kagome."

Again with the language, holy shit. Could he be a little more _delicate_? "Shut up. You're the most annoying person I know." He takes a massive bite of his burger and chews on it, glaring at Miroku all the while.

"But you still want to bang her, right?"

Inuyasha doesn't choke. He doesn't.

He's just…having a bit of fit. Or something.

Miroku's so fucking delighted he's practically cackling, face scrunched up with disgusting, mashed up fries visible in his mouth. "You're such a flower. Oh my god."

"Why won't you stop talking?" he complains, loudly.

"I still don't get the whole thing," Miroku states, steamrolling right over Inuyasha's thoughts like they don't matter. It hurts only a little. "The whole pining shit. You like her. It seems to me that she's not _not_ interested. But you're all about the crazy crap."

"I really don't want to get into this."

"Too bad, fucker. You're the one that took me on this romantic date."

"Because you _told me to_."

Miroku waves at him dismissively. "If you're scared of getting hurt, then you need to find your balls and sack up, my friend."

That's a part of it, undeniably so. Inuyasha knows he likes Kagome more than he's ever liked anyone else. Though his interactions with people in general are a bit limited, this always seems so much bigger. "She's acting weird," he says finally, shrugging. He looks away and into the bag of their combined fries, grabbing a couple. "Sometimes I think I should just ask her out. She gets all close and in my space and she smiles at me a lot. Other times I'm pretty sure she's trying to avoid me without actually _avoiding_ me."

His best friend blinks. "What?"

"She used to, like… Find me? Like, I can tell she went out of her way to talk to me because we both know I don't do that shit. But for the past while that hasn't happened."

Miroku's frowning now, actually looking concerned. "Since when?"

Inuyasha shrugs. A voice in the back of his head is telling him the day he saw her shoot for the first time, in the gym. But that seems stupid. It seems like something someone who cares way too much would say. Instead, he replies, "I don't know. It's probably nothing. We were talking the other day and for the first time ever she was all shy and shit. Something Sango said about her. Kagome just completely changed the topic."

"What were you talking about?"

Shrugging again, because this isn't a big deal but Miroku seems to be making it one, Inuyasha answers. "Honestly? Can't remember. Her archery tournament I think. Oh, I asked if she was going to win."

The concern that was there moments before instantly disappears. Miroku nods sagely. "Yeah, Sango says she doesn't like to talk about things she wants. Like winning, for example."

That sounds incredibly fucking stupid. "So she wants to win the gold medal or trophy or whatever of archery… And that makes her awkward?"

His best friend nods again. "Yup. Something about how she grew up. Not much money, I don't think. But, you know, that could explain things."

Now, Inuyasha's just confused. "Explain, what?"

"Her being awkward."

Inuyasha must be missing something. "…Well yeah. That would explain why she's shy about that stuff. Kind of. It's a bit weird."

" _No_ ," Miroku whines, letting out a big sigh. "I mean, why she's being hot and cold with you!"

"Because she doesn't want to talk about…things?" Inuyasha is watching Miroku's face for any kind of sign because he's not making any sense, whatsoever. "She doesn't want to talk about things with me?"

Miroku is staring at him, like he's on some kind of cliff's edge and he's unsure if Inuyasha's going to fall or not. He looks half-scared and half-excited. He's flailing his hands uselessly.

Inuyasha shakes his head. "Well that's even worse. If she doesn't want to talk to me about important shit then obviously she can't like me _that much_."

A noise that he's never heard before comes from his best friend's mouth. It sounds like a dying cat.

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "You're so dramatic. It's not that big of a deal. I don't get why Sango puts up with you."

It is a big deal, but whatever.

Inuyasha knows where he stands now, at least. He stuffs fries into his mouth and ignores the way his stomach feels like it's sinking.

* * *

Inuyasha is possibly far drunker than he should be at Corner House's Valentine's Day party. Possibly. It's hard to say, really, because he lost count a while ago on how many drinks he's had. Some drinks he didn't even know what was in them, just accepted them from Kouga and Hachi and moved along with his night. His boys are with him, all of them dancing and having a great time. DJ Naraku-The-Fucking-Best is destroying it, as per usual.

He's not scared. He's not.

Just because Shippo and Shiori – the two new official housemates of Corner House – are prancing around in cupid-like outfits, shooting people with _love arrows_ so they have to kiss the cheek of the person on their right, doesn't mean he has any reason to be scared.

None.

But Kagome is there. Right there. There on his _right_.

He takes another long pull of his beer and tries not to spit it out when Kouga runs into his space and starts thrusting in his general direction. Ayame is right behind him, so apparently this is a thing.

He gets roped into some kind of writhing, grinding line, hips swaying to every pounding beat of the bass. There's a girl he doesn't know between him and Miroku, with Ayame at his back. He's lost track of Kagome but that's not surprising. It taken a conscious effort to not seek her out, to not look for her the entire night. Somehow she was always there, just a little bit away. But now, with the music blasting and his mind no longer whirling with the possibilities thanks to alcohol, Kagome is gone.

He lets himself forget that. He focuses on the girl in front of him, on the music in his head.

The line of dancers eventually breaks apart. Inuyasha feels himself getting pulled instantly in the direction of the kitchen by none other than Kouga, a wicked smile on his face. "More beer?"

"More beer," Inuyasha confirms. He's pretty sure that beer is the greatest creation on earth. "Where's Ayame?"

"Some friend needed her," Kouga replies. He grabs onto the front of Inuyasha's t-shirt as they stumble through a crowd of students dancing, blocking the way to the kitchen. "Where's Kagome?"

"No idea," he replies, drawing out the words. It's bad, he thinks, that he can _tell_ he's incredibly drunk. But fuck it. He can't deal with this night, not with all of the kissing couples and hook ups happening around him. If he wasn't a part of Corner House, Inuyasha wouldn't even be here. Last Valentine's Day, he had a good time because there was nothing niggling at the back of his mind. There was no chat of _Kagome, Kagome, Kagome_ that he had to try to drown out.

"Who needs women anyways?" Kouga replies, breaking Inuyasha from his thoughts. He's a good bro. The bestest of bros. Inuyasha smirks and clinks his red solo cup to the athlete's.

"There you are!" Sango's voice calls out. Arms are suddenly around his neck and pretty soon he's getting strangled as another set does the same. Jesus, breathing just got a lot harder. "Miroku! What are you doing?" Sango asks, way too close to his ear.

"Isn't he _adorable_?" Miroku asks, giggling. Also far too close. Holy hell, these two are ridiculous.

"Let go of me," Inuyasha grumbles out, trying to figure out a way to escape their arms and not lose any beer. "Let me be happy!"

"Why aren't you happy?" Sango asks, poking at his cheek before stepping away. "You should have more beer."

"I'm _trying_ to."

And then, because he has the greatest of luck, he hears her. "Trying to what?" A hiccup, and then a giggle, and then Kagome is standing in front of him, beaming widely. Inuyasha blinks, grips his cup tighter. She's staring at him so fucking happily, like the sun, and she's flushed from the heat and her big eyes are on him like–

"Inuyasha?"

"Fuck off," he replies immediately, turning his head to see Kouga grinning at him. "What?"

"It's almost midnight," Miroku cuts in, nudging his side. "Wanna get to the good stuff upstairs? Hachi and the newbies can deal with the crowd."

"Shippo is _adorable_ in his little cupid outfit!" Kagome coos, overly loud. She takes the beer from Inuyasha's hand and drinks it. He doesn't even stop her, completely unsure what's even happening. _Is this real life?_

Sango snorts from beside him. "Someone let loose for once."

Grinning around the cup, Kagome flips her off and continues to drink until all of the beer is gone. Inuyasha isn't sure if he's upset or aroused.

"Come on, bestie!" Nudging him backwards, Kouga makes a shushing sound at Inuyasha's indignant squawk. "Let's go upstairs. If Ayame gets here before we make it up, I'm going to have to drag both your asses to my room. I'm not sober enough for that."

"I'm not sober enough for a _lot_ of things," Inuyasha replies. He stumbles up the stairs. His legs feel a lot heavier than they normally do. Is that a thing?

"Yes, it's a thing," Kouga says, laughing. He smacks Inuyasha on his back, which, _rude_. "Hurry _uppppp_ ," he complains. "Why are you so slow?"

Sango's laughing is suddenly heard and Miroku starts singing what Inuyasha can only assume is really terrible opera. He's not even singing real words, just sounds that end in 'ah' a lot. "Oh my god, you're so embarrassing."

And that's when it happens. One moment, Inuyasha is tiredly climbing the stairs, almost at the top. The next, he stumbling, reaching towards Kouga's bedroom door like a lifeline. Kouga swears behind him and then there's a heavy weight across his back. Trying to save it, trying to twist, Inuyasha manages to change direction but it's already too late. He thinks _fuck_ , just before Kouga is practically on top of him and they're…against the door.

There's a moment where everyone is silent.

Abruptly, Kouga starts laughing, high-pitched and completely against him. Inuyasha can feel every movement and even though this is far too close into his personal space, he's drunk enough that he doesn't care. The athlete eventually pushes at him, pressing a hand into his chest to balance himself.

"Hey!" Inuyasha complains. "Get off of me."

"Shhh, I need to unlock the door," Kouga huffs.

Kagome snorts inelegantly and crowds right into their space. Her smile is incredibly wide and Inuyasha cannot stop staring. "I think you're both drunk," she whispers, as if it's a secret.

"I think you are too," Sango whispers back, butting into the conversation.

Kouga cheers when he's finally – _finally_ – able to unlock his bedroom door. The two of them almost fall into the room as he opens it. Inuyasha would be annoyed if he wasn't so relaxed. "To the alcohol," he says. "Miroku, grab some glasses, will you?"

"Way ahead of you," Miroku replies, winking and waving around red solo cups. "It's like you think this is my first time."

Inuyasha is pretty sure Miroku has zero first times left. He doesn't say that out loud.

Snorting, Sango puts her hand up to him for a high-five. "True that."

Okay. Well, maybe he did say that out loud. He high-fives her back anyways.

The group of them manage to find spots to sit, even though the room isn't that big. Kouga and Miroku are passing around glasses of _something_ awful; it doesn't taste like anything other than whiskey which is frankly disgusting. Sitting on the ground, Inuyasha leans against the desk and watches as Kagome comes towards him.

"This spot taken?" she asks.

She wants to sit with him? She wants to sit. With _him_. "Soap."

Oh god. Fuck. What? He went to say 'sure' but realized that was not an actual answer and changed it to 'nope.' But it's too late. He's fucked. Inuyasha panics and takes a massive swallow of alcohol. He looks over at her and she seems as happy as ever, her knee pressed against his. "Uh."

"I'm not actually sure how much I've had to drink," Kagome says, staring into her red cup. "I don't usually drink this much?" She ends it like a question and looks over at him, a little confused. "Is that a bad thing?"

Inuyasha shakes his head. "If you were out in the city or whatever, then yeah. But here? Hakkaku once drank so much be passed out on the stairs. We took pictures though."

"No, _no_ pictures," she says sternly, pointing her finger at him. Jesus Christ, even that's doing something for him.

He's distracted, thank god, by music turning on from somewhere in the room. It's yet another terrible pop song that he would probably dance to if asked. Inuyasha looks around the room; no one is poised to do so, which is a miracle.

Then another miracle happens.

Inuyasha couldn't tell you how, and honestly, he doesn't fucking want to know. But one second, Inuyasha is warily making sure no one asks him to dance and the next, his lap is full and there's black hair literally _everywhere_ , _what the fuck is happening_.

And oh.

Oh.

Kagome pushes at him until she's more or less happily situated in his lap and Inuyasha is pretty sure he's going to die. This can't be real life. But Kagome looks over her shoulder and waves her phone at him. "Picture, please?"

"Okay," he says. He swallows, vaguely surprised he's even able to speak right now. His hands are doing that really awkward floating thing where they don't know where to touch and she's just _there_. Holy shit. Kagome leans back into him while posing for the selfie, so Inuyasha doesn't have much choice but to grab at her sides and lean sideways a bit to be seen around all of her hair. She's positively beaming, eyes shut and turned slightly to face him. He looks up at the camera just as she takes one photo, smiles belatedly because he was _not_ ready. But then she takes another. And another.

Kagome's giggling and Inuyasha can't help it: he looks at her with an expression that's probably disgustingly sappy because she's the most endearing fucking thing in this world. "You don't like pictures, do you?" she asks, clearly pleased.

"It's not often I'm in one willingly," he replies, thinking of all the times Miroku has bodily attacked him into the camera frame.

Kagome hums and shifts around, sitting properly while she fiddles with her phone. He has a moment where he remembers yet again that she's casually sitting in his lap and then he looks around the room, desperately hoping no one is paying them much attention. Thankfully, Miroku, Kouga and Hakkaku are doing this weird dance in the middle of the room, flailing wildly, and everyone is distracted by their antics.

Thank god.

"This good?" she asks suddenly, breaking him out of his thoughts. Her phone is suddenly right in front of his face and all he sees is a picture of them, but not the ones where he's looking at the camera. Shit, _shit_. It's worse than he thought. He's looking at her so _obviously_. Everyone that sees the photo is going to know.

"That one?" Inuyasha asks, somewhat weakly.

Kagome smiles and nods. "Yeah," she says, touching his face in the photo. "You actually look happy. I'm the one that looks crazy."

She's laughing in the picture and she looks fucking perfect.

Inuyasha keeps his mouth shut. "Okay," he says, because he's a weak person. He takes one last look at the photo and prays that Miroku's too drunk to notice it now and too hung over to notice it tomorrow.

"You need Instagram, seriously," Kagome states, posting the photo. She goes back into her profile and Inuyasha has to blink a couple times to make sure he's seeing things right.

"How do you have so many followers?" he asks, bypassing her comment completely.

"I'm a fun person," she replies, elbowing him in the ribs. "You should be so lucky to be included here as many times as you have, considering you don't even have an account."

"Holy shit, why didn't I thank you sooner?" Inuyasha asks dryly. "The more photos I'm in with you, the more people will think we're friends and the more popular I'll become. You're completely selfless and doing this just to benefit me."

Kagome smiles, leaning a little closer. "What, you don't know this?" she asks, teasing. And this is brutally unfair, is what it is, because while he knows she's talking about something completely different, his mind can't help but wander into the danger zone of feelings.

Mayday. Mayday.

"Well now I do," he replies shortly, shaking his head. "And I thought we were–" He's shoved back unexpectedly, head hitting the desk behind him with a thwack. It doesn't feel amazing but there's a massive weight on top of him – far more than the weight of Kagome – and mostly he just confused.

"Ow, motherfucker, _really_?" Miroku yells, far closer to Inuyasha than he was previously.

"Shit, I'm sorry! My bad, man." Hakkaku at least looks sheepish, hands on his face. "I didn't mean to hit you, I swear."

Miroku groans again and collapses back on top of Kagome, who is on top of him. What the hell is with everyone leaning or sitting on him tonight? Pretty soon, he won't be able to breathe. "I'm too drunk for this."

"Get off me," Inuyasha complains, reaching around Kagome to slap at his best friend's face. " _Offffffffff_."

"Ow, ow, leave me alone!" Miroku cries. He noticeably doesn't get off and Inuyasha's about to grab at his hair and tug when Kagome announces, rather loudly, "Nope. I'm out." She shoves at Miroku, enough that he rolls a bit and she squirms out, stumbling out of the bedroom.

"Is she okay?" Sango asks, squinting in worry.

Miroku groans. "I don't know. She hits hard though."

"No one cares." Inuyasha glares at him. For fuck's sake, Kagome was in his lap. Things were looking _up_. She was smiling at him and shit; none of that avoiding crap from earlier. If things continued to go well, he may have even gotten the nerve to say something to her.

Ha.

Yeah right.

"Yo, where's the alcohol at?" Ginta hollers, bursting into the room and sloppy as all hell. He stumbles, giggles and then nearly topples into Kouga. "K _ooooooo_ uga," he whines. "Why are you in my way?"

"Hey buddy! Did Hachi let you go?"

"Pretty much everyone left," Ginta says. "Which means time for the good stuff."

"Bit too late for that," Ayame announces, holding up an empty bottle of whiskey. "We're all out."

"Fuck." Ginta frowns. "Someone has to have more! This is Corner House! Our lady would never let us stay sober if we didn't want to!"

Inuyasha has no fucking idea who this lady is. "How drunk are you?"

"Not enough but _you_ –" Ginta points at Miroku, blinks and then points at Inuyasha. "I know you have alcohol. Miroku _told me_."

"Yeah!" Kouga agrees. "We all went out to buy the beer and I grabbed this," he swings the empty bottle, "and you got vodka!"

Inuyasha tries not to make a face. He _did_ buy vodka but it was more as a backup plan than for a party. The backup plan being drowning his sorrows if he ever found the balls to ask Kagome out and the answer was less than ideal.

So.

"Come on," Kouga wheedles, poking him aggressively in the face. "Go and get it. I know you have it somewhere in your room."

"Fuck you, that's not for sharing," Inuyasha finally replies. There's an outpouring of rage from around the room, enough so that Inuyasha's actually taken aback. Holy shit, everyone needs to chill.

Sango narrows her eyes at him and leaves her spot on the desk chair to crawl towards him. "Don't make me make you."

And that? That's terrifying.

Inuyasha shoves Miroku off the rest of the way and gets up, trying to look casual. He knows for a fact that he's missed the mark by a long shot but he'll never admit to anything. "Whatever, fine. For the record: I hate all of you."

"We love you too, stud muffin!" Miroku yells from the ground.

Ah yes. The pet names are back. Fucking fantastic.

His room is down the hall and other than the voices from downstairs, it's pretty quiet. Hachi is probably with some other friends or tormenting Shippo and Shiori still. Being the newbies of Corner House isn't a terrible task but you definitely do things a bit past your comfort level.

Inuyasha has a flash of his own first party just as he walks into his room: the animal ears, the noises, the tail and basket of–

He shudders. _No_.

A door slams – correction: _his_ door slams – and Inuyasha turns around sharply from his spot by the bed, disrupted from his thoughts. The sight before him breaks his brain a little. If anyone asks at a later point, Inuyasha was more confused than anything else because Kagome's leaning against his closed bedroom door.

The reality, however, is far different because there's a strange whining sound and it's _definitely_ coming from him, holy shit, is this a dream? Did he pass out and this is some sort of fantasy his mind conjured up because she was on his lap? What is happening? What? What?

"Sango's looking for me," Kagome whispers, dead serious.

Inuyasha blinks, pinches himself. Ow. "What?"

His voice is considerably louder and instantly, Kagome is shushing him, a finger to her lips. "Shh, _quiet_!" Pressing her ear to the door, she listens for sounds out in the hallway.

Inuyasha tries to breathe. Inhale. Exhale. Don't pop a boner, for fuck's sake, this is not a dream.

"I think she's gone," Kagome says, voice barely more than a murmur. "She thinks I'm really drunk and need water but I'm _fine_."

She's completely wasted but Inuyasha figures it's better to not say anything, judging by the look on her face. He glances at the dresser where his vodka is hiding. "Do you want to go back to them?"

"Nah," Kagome replies. She pushes her way past him and jumps onto the bed, burying her face in his pillow.

 _His pillow._

He pinches himself again, just in case.

"I'm actually tired," she continues. She stretches, rolls and arches her back, dark eyes watching him. It's innocent though; this isn't some kind of play. Kagome looks sleep-soft and rumpled and he's pretty sure he's in love with her. "I've been training all week for the tournament. I thought my arms were going to be nothing more than noodles on Thursday."

Slowly, Inuyasha crawls onto his own bed, keeping a solid foot of space between them. He stares at the white cracked ceiling with suspicious strains and focuses on that. "The tournament's soon, right?"

Kagome hums. "Yeah. Boys this weekend and girls the next. At least I have winter break in between to try and catch up. Tournaments are so exhausting."

Right. The winter week break starts soon. "Will you be here?"

Laughing, Kagome rolls onto her side, so much closer than she was before. She grins at him for a bit, head propped up in her hands. Inuyasha tries to commit the image to memory. "I _am_ here, idiot."

"No," Inuyasha argues. "Not _now_. I meant during winter break."

"Oh." Kagome nods, apparently finding her position no longer comfortable. She collapses down and fidgets. "Your mattress is weird."

They really cannot talk about his mattress. Inuyasha is pretty sure up until this point he's been nice and normal. Drunk, but normal. "It's fine," he tries but Kagome just shakes her head and tries three different positions until she sighs explosively.

"Well," she says, muffled by her own hair covering her face. "I really have no choice."

What the fuck is she even talking about?

Then, before he can ask, Kagome is rolling again and suddenly, she's on top of _him_.

Holy shit, holy shit, _holy shit_ –

Kagome yawns, head on his chest. Her hand pats at his shoulder. "See? Better."

This is not better. This is _not_. Inuyasha is pretty sure he hasn't even taken a _breath_ , because there would surely be consequences. His room is silent. Distantly, he can hear music playing from Kouga's room and vague chatter.

"I think–" Kagome stops mid-mumble, shifts around a little until Inuyasha is pretty sure he's going to die. "I think I am drunk."

Well, no fucking shit. Inuyasha's hands clench into his bedsheets. What does he do here? Does he push her off? Does he hug her? Does he wait until she falls asleep and then goes and gets Sango to take her home? As drunk as he is, he knows that Kagome is completely wasted and that there is no way in hell she would do this if sober.

"Kagome?" he asks quietly, since her face is so close to his. He could kiss her, if he wanted to. It would be a spectacularly bad idea. Seconds pass and so he asks again, louder. "Kagome, you awake?"

She doesn't move. Her breathing is even and slow.

For some reason, it feels like a weight has been lifted from him. He lets go of the bedsheets and finally relaxes, completely drained. Kagome is dead to the world, passed out while cuddling on top of him. He should move her but what if she wakes up while he does so? Drunken sleeping can get pretty deep pretty quickly, so Inuyasha decides to wait a little before moving her. He can go and get Sango then, figure out what their plans are.

Piece of cake.

Inuyasha listens to the muffled music, staring at the ceiling and thinking about anything and everything but the girl sleeping on him. It would be nice though, if this was a normal situation. Not a drunken act but more of a 'couples' thing. He's pretty sure Miroku takes every opportunity he can to sleep in the same bed as Sango. Now he knows why, kind of.

Kagome's breathing is deep, slow and even. He could probably move her now.

Inuyasha closes his eyes instead.

* * *

 **Next Time on** _**Tell Me I'm Crazy**_ _ **:**_ "Oh, hey, you're Kagome's boyfriend, yeah? Let me go get her." Inuyasha chokes on air and actually has a coughing fit. It's embarrassing, really. But what's worse is the fact that his heart skips a beat, his face heats up which means he's blushing like a damn virgin, and when he tries to take a step forward to stop the freckled guy, Inuyasha practically nosedives into the ground.

And he thought the day was going to get better. Ha.

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Pooch:_ WELL, who am I to deny anyone's dream come true? Hope you liked it, love.

 _ThatGirl:_ Aw, thank you so, so much! And yes, there's a friend in my group who is incredibly short-tempered and he always gets picked on. His reactions are priceless XD

 _Guest:_ And I f'ing love you too :D

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** Kagome captioned her Instagram post "push and pull like a magnet do." This is in reference to Ed Sheeran's song Shape of You, which topped the Billboard Music charts the week this story takes place.

 **WEBSITE UPDATE:** I shall being creating a fun little website to help keep you guys more in the loop on things. Stories will be posted here but I'll be offering PDF versions and sneak peeks and teasers there. My question to you: what other content would you like to see?

 **Feedback, as always, is love.**


	12. Part XII

**Author's Note:** Thank you all for the wonderful words and feedback. I love all of you so dearly.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part XII**

* * *

The first major thing that comes to his mind is that he feels like complete and utter shit. Inuyasha licks at his lips and regrets it immediately, the dryness even more noticeable with the lack of spit. Christ, did he even drink water before he fell asleep?

The second major thing that comes to mind is–

Turning his head, Inuyasha stares at the sleeping face of one Kagome Higurashi. Quietly, Inuyasha rolls onto his stomach so he can bury his face into his pillow, groaning. Last night actually happened. He must have passed out and apparently none of his so-called friends came to check on him. What assholes.

He needs water though, ASAP. And some Ibuprofen, for the love of god. He'll… He'll deal with this, it's all good. It's not like anything actually happened so there can't be an awkward morning after, can there?

Water. First, water.

He checks to make sure she's still sleeping and then as slowly as he possibly can, gets out of bed. The bed only makes the slightest noise but he freezes like it was a gunshot, watching her face for any signs of wakefulness.

He waits. Stares.

Yeah, he's officially crossed the line into creepy.

With that thought lingering in his mind, Inuyasha tip-toes to his bedroom door and _slowly_ – fuck, turtles would do better than him – _slowly_ , opens it. For one last time, he looks over at Kagome's sleeping form. At this point, he can't tell if he's just being a fucking creep or if he's actually checking to see if he woke her up.

She's sleeping still.

Inuyasha sneaks out the bedroom door– "Jesus _fucking_ Christ!" he exclaims, stepping away from the beaming, ecstatic face of Miroku. And he's _definitely_ just standing at his door, staring, so Inuyasha doesn't feel so creepy anymore. "What are you doing?" he whispers harshly, shutting the bedroom door as quietly as he can. _Holy fuck_ , he's lucky he didn't have a heart attack. His whole body is practically shaking.

"So, Kagome's in there, right?" Miroku asks, still smiling like a loon.

"Shh, keep your voice down," Inuyasha whispers, punching him in the shoulder. His head is viciously pounding now and all he wants to do is get some water and crash on the couch downstairs. He feels sick and uneasy and he wants to lie back down.

"I _knew it_." Miroku looks so damn proud. He has no clue why. "It's finally happened. I can finally let loose my bro wings and be free–"

"What?" Inuyasha interrupts, annoyed. "Nothing happened! Holy shit, can you actually _be quiet_? She's sleeping!"

Miroku's eyes narrow and Inuyasha isn't sure if his hangover can take another minute of this. His annoyance is bleeding into full-on anger and he loves his best friend he does, but he needs to back off. "What do you mean nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened," Inuyasha repeats, as firmly as he can. This conversation needs to end. "She passed out because she was tired. I passed out because I was tired. End of story."

" _But_ –" Inuyasha is going to punch him, for the love of fuck. "You passed out after sex, right?"

"No."

"Making out?"

"No."

"Confessions of undying love?"

And that's it. It's the straw that broke the camel's back. Inuyasha growls his frustration and then, in a fit of irritation exclaims rather loudly, "No! No, Miroku. Nothing happened between Kagome and I. Nothing _will_ happen between Kagome and I. There will never be confessions of love because it's not _like that_. Now, for fuck's sake, can you please leave me alone?"

Miroku's face contorts several times but Inuyasha realizes somewhat belatedly that all of the expressions are rather hurt. "Man, what the hell is with you?"

"You're being annoying."

"Newsflash, asshole," Miroku says, "I'm always like this. And it's not annoying, it's fucking _caring_. Because you're my bro, and we're best buds. You're the one that's suddenly got a hair-trigger of rage."

"I'm not–"

His bedroom door opens and Kagome's soft brown eyes look back and forth between them, somewhat concerned. Her hair is a complete mess and Inuyasha bites at his lip because he _wants_. "Morning," she says. Her voice is doing things to him. Inuyasha should really just go back to bed at this point.

"Good morning," Miroku says, smiling at her. "We're probably going to make breakfast soon. Sango's still sleeping."

"Oh." Kagome looks at him intently and Inuyasha has to hold back all of the billion things he wants to blurt out. Later. He's going to tell her these things, but after breakfast and after he feels human again. "Actually, I should probably head out. I have practice later anyways."

"On a Sunday?" And this, Inuyasha can't hold it back. His face is probably frowning but he can't stop it. This is all like some sort of terrible car wreck, happening in slow motion.

Kagome nods and then winces. "Yeah. Tournaments and all. I'll talk to you guys later, okay? Doing worry – I'll text Sango."

Kagome smiles at the both of them, her gaze remaining on his for far longer before she turns away. She waves as she disappears down the stairs.

Inuyasha's head fucking hurts, he's thirsty, and something just happened but he's not able to process it. He stares at the spot he last saw her. It's pretty pathetic.

"Um."

Lightly punching Miroku in the shoulder, Inuyasha is thankful the action actually stops his friend from speaking. He's pretty sure it's yet another thing he can't deal with right now. "I'm getting water and then going back to bed. Wake me for breakfast?"

Miroku is looking at him with concerned blue eyes. His brain is totally overloaded. "Hey, look, I'm–"

"Nope, not doing this now," Inuyasha says, cutting him off. "Water. Bed. Breakfast. You good?" But he doesn't wait for an answer. He heads towards the kitchen for some water and refuses to look anywhere near the front door, just in case.

* * *

Inuyasha stares at his phone. His hangover has mostly subsided with water and food and ibuprofen, but all he can think about is talking to Kagome.

 _Hey, when are you done practice?_

He sent it twenty minutes ago. She could be at practice now.

She could be ignoring it.

Inuyasha groans and throws his phone to the other end of his bed.

* * *

 _Want to hang out after?_ Because he can't leave it alone. He can't.

Inuyasha watches four episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and even that isn't enough to make him forget about the fact that she hasn't answered.

* * *

He finds Miroku on the couch downstairs, the floors freshly mopped and vacuumed. The spilt beer stick was all over their living room this morning and it was disgusting. Inuyasha tries to avoid stepping in any wet spots and his flailing sort-of dance over to the couch finally makes his friend look up, amused.

"If this is some sort of mating call, it's not working," Miroku says, tucking his cell phone back into his jeans.

"Fuck off," Inuyasha replies, without any heat. "I hate wet socks."

"Should have stayed in your room then."

Inuyasha sighs when he finally drops down onto the couch, looks over at Miroku and tries to figure out if he's still mad. It doesn't seem so, but Inuyasha can own up to the fact that he was a dick earlier, even if he won't admit it out loud. "I'm thinking of pizza for dinner. Want some? I'm buying."

Grinning, Miroku pats him on the shoulder. "I'll never turn down free food."

He's forgiven then. Thank fuck. "Is Sango still here?"

"Nah, she left after breakfast." Miroku makes a weird face at that, but gets up before Inuyasha can decipher it. He turns on the Xbox and grabs a couple controllers. "Something about checking in on Kagome, even though we had plans."

This is getting into feelings territory. Inuyasha fiddles with the controller as the TV reflects the home screen, debating whether to dive right in or do the dutiful bro thing and ignore it. They start to play Call of Duty, a map they've played a bunch of times before. They don't even have to tell each other what to do at this point, it's all routine.

"Are you okay?" Miroku asks, blue eyes completely focused on the screen. The question is innocent enough that Inuyasha could brush it off like the other comment.

He opens his mouth, closes it. Fuck, he hates this shit. "I guess," he replies. He stabs a zombie and the dragon statue comes to life. "Did Sango say anything to you?"

"About what?"

"About whether your wedding colours are going to be blue and gold or pink and silver." Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "What the hell do you think I'm talking about?"

Miroku grunts. "Shut up. She didn't say anything about Kagome, just wanted to make sure she's okay. She was pretty drunk last night and apparently was hiding from Sango for the last bit."

"Yeah, that's how she got into my room."

"With you in it."

"Coincidence."

"Was it though?" Miroku asks, curious enough that he actually looks away from the screen to stare at him.

Inuyasha sighs. "If you asked me this morning, I would have said no."

"What changed?"

Inuyasha remains silent, long enough that he kills the last zombie in the round before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He unlocks it, opens his messages and hands it over. "I don't get women," he says. He stabs another zombie and then runs to grab a better gun so he can protect Miroku's character.

Miroku frowns at the phone, confused. "Wait, what happened last night?"

"I told you," Inuyasha says, "nothing happened. We talked a little bit. We were on my bed. Nothing happened but she decided to use me as a human pillow and then pass out. I fell asleep not long after."

"That's it?"

"That's it," he promises, nodding. He gets in two headshots.

"So you ask her to hang out after practice and forever after you sent the messages, she replies that she can't."

"Yup."

Miroku puts the phone down and picks up the controller. "Women are fucking weird. Hey, let me kill the rest of these. I still need to buy a gun."

"If you weren't slacking–"

"I was playing Dr. Phil!"

There's a snort from the doorway. Kouga's entered without either of them noticing and he's looking at Miroku the exact way Inuyasha feels: like he's friends with an idiot. "You should never be Dr. Phil."

"Thank you!" Inuyasha exclaims. He pointedly leaves the zombie in his way for Miroku to kill anyways.

Kouga sits down in the middle of them on the couch, watching the TV with casual interest. "Why did he need to play Dr. Phil?"

Of fucking course. Inuyasha sighs. At this rate, he should just go to a damn psychologist. They would undoubtedly be more useful. He opens his mouth but before he can even say anything, Miroku interrupts. "Kagome's blowing cold hard enough that hell's freezing."

Kouga's face scrunches up. "After they had sex last night?"

"Oh my god." Inuyasha hates his friends. "No–"

"They actually only slept; he wasn't lying earlier. I know, right?" Miroku laughs and finally buys a goddamn gun in the game. "But she was, and I quote, 'using him as a human pillow.'"

Kouga smacks Inuyasha on the shoulder. "Wow man, I don't know whether to be disappointed or–"

"What do you mean, _earlier_?" Inuyasha asks, cutting the athlete off. "You talked about me earlier?"

Snorting, Miroku steals Inuyasha's kill. Bitch. "Of course we were. Don't be stupid. But Kouga, get this: she goes into his room, cuddles him and then the next morning she ignores his text messages and doesn't want to meet him. Isn't that fucking weird?"

"For her? That seems really weird."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "Guys, for fuck's sake leave it alone. She clearly doesn't like me that way. Can we _not_ talk about this?"

He watches out of the corner of his eye his two friends look at each other before they both sigh dramatically. Kouga's the first to hit him. "Are you blind? All she does is flirt with you."

Lies. All goddamn lies. Inuyasha shakes his head and kills another zombie for a dragon's lunch. "Whatever," he says, because he's evidently not going to win. "Flirting doesn't mean dating."

"No but when you're friends with each other first and you start to flirt with each other, generally it leads to dating. Come on!" Miroku exclaims. "This has been going on– _Gah_."

Kouga laughs. "This calls for drinking."

"No."

"Yes!" Miroku yells, so excited by the idea he gets mobbed in the game. His character dies shortly after. "That is exactly what we're going to do. We're going to forget all about this shit and drink and be fucking merry."

He's not sure at what point he became the _voice of reason_ but apparently it's a thing. Inuyasha looks over at his friends, wondering what the fuck is wrong with them. "It's a Sunday."

"We were shitfaced on a Tuesday," Kouga answers, smug.

"So much so that you slept under a tree," Miroku finishes, slaying that argument.

Inuyasha is getting desperate. "But we drank a shit-ton last night _and_ we have classes tomorrow!"

"Fuck classes, bitch. Stop being a damn pansy, find your balls, and let's get wasted." Miroku finds the remote control and turns off the television, making it now impossible for Inuyasha to stay alive. It was a low goddamn blow. He could have saved them.

Turning to face the both of them, Inuyasha can't help but let out a breath when all he gets is their big, stupid faces looking all excited at him. "Fine."

The three of them end up in his room with the bottle of vodka that was oh so important last night. They toast each other to a night of manliness and then do three shots back-to-back.

They listen to some music while drinking some more, dinner completely forgotten.

In hindsight, dinner was probably a good idea.

In hindsight, they probably should have stopped at three shots.

* * *

Yeah. About that.

* * *

"OLE, ole ole ole! Oleeeeee! Ole! FLIP CUP! OLEEEE, OLE, OLE, OLEEEEE–"

* * *

"This is it!" Inuyasha yells, skipping because he feels so fucking light towards it. The tree. _His tree_. "This is where I slept!" He giggles, tossing himself down on the ground. He's only wearing a sweater and rationally, he knows it's fucking freezing out. Nothing matters though, nothing but the tree.

"Wow," Miroku whispers in awe. Somehow, he too is lying down, head pillowed on Inuyasha's stomach. Did he fall asleep or something? "I wonder what would happen if–"

* * *

"Sh, shhhh!" Kouga hisses at them but he's giggling in between so it's not helping at all. "Guys, we just _stole university property_. If coach finds out I'm going to get so fucking killed."

"But it's for the good of your athleticism!" Miroku replies, all earnest in his drunken haze. "We're going to practice!"

"But it's not _real_ practice."

"It fucking is, you loser," Inuyasha replies. He steals the ball from Miroku and then runs around the field. He drops it and starts to kick it, but Jesus fucking Christ it keeps _moving_.

Kouga's giggles are far too loud. "Okay, okay. You two against me."

"Not fair!" Miroku complains. "We need at least another person on our team."

"Probably." The athlete launches himself then, shoving over Inuyasha so that he's rolling in the grass before taking off with the ball. In seconds – he's like a fucking _rocket to the moon, holy shit_ – he's shot the ball in the net.

"A MASTERFUL STRIKE!" Miroku yells in a terrible, terrible accent. "HE'S DONE IT AGAIN. I REPEAT, HE'S DONE IT AGAIN."

Kouga's screaming with joy, running around the soccer field and undoing his sweater, throwing it off just before jumping on top of Inuyasha. He barely stays upright and the two of them scream for their goal, Miroku leaping on top and making them finally, _finally_ stumble–

* * *

"I can't believe everything is closed," Miroku whines. He takes a long pull of alcohol from their flask, passes it to Kouga. "Like, it's only two in the morning. Who the fuck goes to bed at two in the morning?"

"Assholes," Inuyasha replies because fucking right.

"Fucknuggets," Kouga supplies.

It takes a moment for his brain to catch up but suddenly Inuyasha's in tears, bent over in half as he laughs his guts out. Fucknuggets. Jesus fucking Christ, there's a reason Kouga is his soulmate–

* * *

" –nah, nah, nah! I won't give up, nah, nah, nah! Let me love you! Let me love you, ahhhhhHHHHH!"

They all go nuts, dancing in the fucking empty streets and singing an electronic part with no lyrics.

Inuyasha is pretty sure the world is spinning but he just sings louder and–

* * *

"Guys," Miroku says, poking into Inuyasha's side painfully. "Guys. I have a very serious question."

"What?" Kouga asks, giving him the serious attention he deserves. Because this is serious. It is serious goddamn business.

Inuyasha squints at Miroku, trying to show off his seriousness.

Miroku shakes his head, looking far too lost for one that is oh so drunk. "Why do I want nuggets?"

* * *

"–can't be that hard, chicks do it all the time." Kouga pouts and poses in the mirror and Inuyasha puts his hand in his hair to brush it back, mid-photo, like the goddamn model he is. "Hold on, I need a better angle. Keep that pose–"

* * *

"I'm mad at her."

Inuyasha blinks and looks around. Right. McDonald's. They're at a McDonald's. He looks down at his mostly eaten burger and fries, and then back up to Miroku, who's pouting. "What?"

"I'm mad at Sango, you know?"

Inuyasha blinks again, turns his head. Where did Kouga go?

"He's in the bathroom but _bitch_ , you need to listen to me," Miroku whines. "You don't get it. All I want – all I want! – is to be a good bro. You know?" He pats Inuyasha head, over and over. It's actually really soothing. "And she's stopping me from being a good bro. And that sucks! Because I want to be the _bestest_ of bros."

His friend shouldn't be sad. Not like this. "But you _are_ the bestest of bros. You're my bestest of bros… Bro? Bros? Whatever."

Miroku, if anything, looks even sadder. "You promise?"

"Promise."

He gets five more head pats and a–

* * *

The darkness is not enough.

Death is coming for him.

It's like the fucking plague. He hasn't even opened his eyes and he's positive this is what dying feels like. His head is screaming bloody fucking murder and his _throat_. Oh god.

The thought of water makes him want to puke.

The thought of puking makes him want to puke.

Yep. He's going to puke. Inuyasha finds strength somewhere in his body, enough to propel him off the bed to stumble blindly into the bathroom. He barely makes it to the toilet, practically has to lunge to clear the bowl.

Death. This is what death feels like because tears are in his eyes he's puking so hard.

It takes a billion and one years but finally, his stomach is no longer making a bid to escape up his throat. He sits on the ground, headache raging. He breathes.

Okay. Okay, he can do this. Inuyasha flushes the toilet and breathes in again. He has four priorities: mouthwash, water, ibuprofen and sleep. There's no way in hell he's steady enough to brush his teeth.

Mouthwash. Okay. Inuyasha exhales as he leans over to the cabinet under the sink. It sits there, mocking him slightly out of reach. Fuck. Okay. Okay. He's got this. He does. He's a fucking boss and he _will_ control his body.

Breathe in. Stretch. Clasp mouthwash. Don't drop it. Don't drop it.

There.

He unscrews the lid, takes a swig and swishes like his life depends on it. Honestly, it feels like it does. It's powerful shit though and he's shaky as fuck. He spits out into the toilet too soon but whatever, good enough. He puts the mouthwash back, flushes the toilet once more and gets up.

Dear god.

Why is the floor tilting?

Inuyasha shuts his eyes and breathes but _no_ , that's worse. Fuck, prioritize. Water and ibuprofen. There's no way on god's green earth that he's going to make it to the kitchen without dying tragically going down the stairs.

Miroku.

He must have water. He hoards that shit when he's drunk.

A plan firmly in mind, Inuyasha staggers out of the bathroom. He takes the couple extra steps to Miroku's room and bursts inside, not caring about anything other than water. There's like a 70% chance he'll throw it back up, but desperate times and all.

It's like god himself planned it. There, on the floor, bathed in wretched awful sunlight from a crack in the blinds, lays a bottle of water. He grabs it, takes a solid six tries to open it, and finally – _finally_ – drinks it.

"Yash?" Miroku's voice is pitiful. "Am I dead?"

"Probably." He takes tiny sips, swishing them in his mouth before swallowing to warm the water up. The last thing he needs is cold water sending his body into a puking frenzy again.

"Water?"

Inuyasha looks and spots another full bottle. There's already a drained one by his nightstand, so his best friend was the tiniest bit smarter than him last night. Carefully, he picks up the full one, opens it and hands it over. "Drugs?"

"Drawer," Miroku mumbles, waving a hand at his nightstand before drinking.

The shakiness is getting worse. Water is the best and worst idea. There's a good chance he's going to vomit again and then Inuyasha will _really_ die. He finds the ibuprofen and takes three, pouring some more tablets into Miroku's outstretched hand. He's a good friend.

Because he's a good friend, Inuyasha is positive he deserves to nap with Miroku on his bed. Fuck it. Inuyasha caps his water bottle and climbs over his Miroku's half-sitting form. They are both dying. There is no pride here.

"I may puke on you," Miroku mutters, face smudging into the pillow as he lies back down.

"I'll probably puke right back so try not to."

"Noted."

"Thanks."

Inuyasha closes his eyes and wills either sleep or death to take him.

* * *

He is so hung over, he misses all four of his classes. This includes his mythology class with Kagome but he tries to ignore that because it only makes his upset stomach even more twisted up.

At some point, Inuyasha texts Kouga to join them in Miroku's room. The three of them grab every pillow and blanket they own, tossing it all in the floor. It's a nest; there's no better way to say it. Three adult men made a nest because their insides were rotting and their heads were threatening to explode.

They watch terrible television and pay Hachi twenty bucks to take the pizza they got delivered from the front door to Miroku's bedroom. He definitely overcharged them but they were desperate and unable to move.

"Oh god." Kouga's voice is gravelly and tough, as if he had been screaming all night. "Fuck, Miroku."

"What?" he asks, head lolling against their makeshift headboard of pillows.

"Have you checked your Insta?"

Inuyasha's body freezes because he's not one for that crap but he knows what a question like that means.

"No." Miroku doesn't say it though like he's answering the direct question. He says the single word in horror, like the realization of what may have occurred has just slapped him in the face.

Inuyasha watches as his friend pulls it up and sure enough, he's pulling up some kind of movie feed. It's video after video after photo of them, last night.

It's all documented. The singing, the dancing, the frolicking, the bathroom mirror photoshoot and far too many selfies in various places to count.

"Oh shit," Miroku mumbles. "Guys, like, 200 people have watched it."

"Do you even know 200 people?" Inuyasha asks, all high-pitched and weird. Because things were said and shit was done.

"Nope."

"Well." Kouga clears his throat but it doesn't help his voice any. "If you take it down now, it'll be fine."

* * *

A bunch of the bathroom mirror photos that he and Kouga took are on some Facebook university meme page. Inuyasha doesn't ask how. He also, very pointedly, doesn't ask how many shares there are.

If Sesshomaru finds out, Inuyasha will surely experience something worse than death.

* * *

 _Hey, you model ;)_

 _Saw Miroku's instagram story. No wonder you didn't come to class._

 _I emailed you all of my mythology notes already. Hope you feel better!_

* * *

It takes Inuyasha a solid two days to recover. He's positive it's never taken him so long to get over a night of drinking ever in his life before. Honest to god, he's swearing off alcohol for at least a month.

He's too busy being miserable about the hangover to even think about Kagome and her text messages. It's hot and cold, or warm and cold – _whatever_. At this point, Inuyasha is tired. It's the last week before classes and he's got a shitty group project assignment to finish before the end of the week.

So everything can go fuck itself, is what he's saying.

On Thursday when he does have class with Kagome, he sets up like usual and waves at her when she walks in. They talk about the week and he asks about her training.

They don't talk about Saturday. Part of him is relieved and the other part is really goddamn irritated.

But whatever. Everything, like he said, could go fuck itself.

Inuyasha isn't lying when he begs off studying with her because he's tired. He only regrets it a little.

* * *

It's Friday. He's happy and frustrated at the same time.

Happy because school sucks right now and he's so over his tests and projects and essays that he would love nothing more than to bask in the weekend forever. Frustrated because this Friday, Kagome's not in class but rather at the boys' fencing tournament a couple hours away.

It is what it is.

Inuyasha pulls out his laptop and tries not to think about it. It doesn't work. The fact that he thought it potentially could shows just how much of an idiot he is. Damn it.

"Hey," Bankotsu says, taking him out of his thoughts. The guy sits down beside him, Jakotsu following along to the other side.

"Hey," Inuyasha replies, because he's not rude no matter what his roommates say. "How's it going?"

"The usual. My statistics class is fucking me pretty hard." Bankotsu grimaces and takes out his own notes. "I fucking hate math."

"At least you're not surrounded by pretentious backstabbing bitches all day," Jakotsu points out. "I swear, I was so close to punching the TA."

Inuyasha nods, having no idea what either of their majors are. For Bankotsu's sake, he hopes it isn't math.

"Got any weekend plans?" Bankotsu asks and immediately slaps his hand over Jakotsu's mouth before the guy can get a word in edge-wise. "Not you."

Jakotsu rolls his eyes but otherwise remains quiet.

"Not really." Inuyasha shrugs. "It's the start of break but I don't usually go home. I'll probably just stay here." As per usual, the entirety of Corner House will be leaving him. To spite them, he should throw a party and make the whole event go viral. That would be too much work though.

"Is Kagome sticking around?" Bankotsu asks. He's distracted momentarily by letting go of Jakotsu, sending a warning glance his way.

Inuyasha watches the exchange with amusement, wondering how the hell the two of them met. It takes him away from the question, at least enough that he forgets to answer until Bankotsu frowns at him. "What?"

"Did you hear me?" he asks, somewhat jokingly. "I asked if your girlfriend was sticking around for the break."

Oh.

Inuyasha stares at him, mouth open, torn between making a sound or shutting up entirely. "My… Girlfriend?" It doesn't come out like a pathetic squeak. It _doesn't_.

Bankotsu is looking at him like he's a complete moron. Which, to be fair, may not be entirely wrong but Inuyasha is sure he hasn't mixed this shit up. He would know if he was dating Kagome. There would be flowers and kisses and shit. Not ignored texts and turned-down offers to hang out. "Are you not dating?" he asks then, realization dawning.

Shaking his head, Inuyasha turns his attention to the front of the classroom where the slow-ass professor is still taking his sweet-ass time getting ready. Holy fuck, it's just a mythology class. Set up the damn projector and _teach already_.

"Oh, sorry man. My bad." Bankotsu gives an awkward laugh and claps him on the shoulder. "For some reason I just thought you were together."

Jakotsu snorts indelicately on the other side. "You're such a tool."

"Fuck off." Bankotsu starts to chirp at his friend and Inuyasha can't be bothered to listen in. All he's thinking about is _Kagome's boyfriend, Kagome's boyfriend, Kagome's boyfriend_. Which he's not. Inuyasha is smarter than that.

But it hits too close to home and all Inuyasha wants is for this stupid Friday to be over already.

* * *

He's innocently walking into his living room when he's greeted rather abruptly by Naraku's boxer-clad ass wiggling in the air.

Inuyasha sighs, looks up at the ceiling. Wonders about his life choices that have led him to this moment.

"You're ruining my zen," Naraku says, voice incredibly deep. It's raspy and weirdly seductive. Inuyasha stares at his roommate in horror. "Leave or join me."

The downward dog pose is like, the only thing he knows. Inuyasha looks down at himself, at his sweatpants that desperately need to be washed and his ratty t-shirt. If anything, this is almost the _best_ time to learn. School is stressful and he's got nothing better to do on this lonely Saturday. The fact that Naraku's not leaving until Sunday night and no one else is even in the house makes it even better. No one will know.

It's genius.

"Too late." Naraku raises his arms above his head, sways and lowers his arms. "Please leave my peaceful space."

"But–"

"Leave."

Manfully, Inuyasha rolls his eyes and heads back into his bedroom. He didn't want to fucking do stupid yoga anyways.

* * *

Not having classes is great but incredibly fucking dull, especially when he's the only one in Corner House.

Inuyasha eats another cookie, watching sports highlights even though he doesn't particularly care about sports. His phone buzzes; distractedly he grabs it while trying to shove another cookie in his mouth. Chocolate is his weakness. He will do anything for a chocolate chip cookie and that shit's not a lie.

 _Hey, you around?_

Blinking, he reads the text again and then double checks the sender. Holy shit.

He chokes on his cookie.

 _Ya_ , he types back, hesitating. What else should he even write? Fuck, where is Miroku when you need him? _U_? He grimaces but hits send.

 _Is there a mythology quiz the week we get back? Bankotsu said there was._

 _Prob will be._

 _Damn. Want to study later? Practice ends at 8._

Inuyasha viciously hates himself because his heart is beating faster and it's completely unfair. This is the first they've spoken since their last class together the previous week. He shouldn't be so fucking happy, and maybe a part of him isn't. Goddamn it though, he wants to see her.

 _Sure see u_

 _:)_

He stares at the smiling emoji for a long time and then finishes the box of cookies. There were only four left anyways.

* * *

Ever since the text messages, Inuyasha's day has gone to the shitter.

There's no singular reason. The Xbox needed an update and said update took three hours. Once that finally finished, the _game_ needed an update. As if that wasn't enough, the fucking goddamn bitch of a _controller_ needed an update. Does Inuyasha remember the days when he could just put a disc in and play the game right away? He does. Apparently, with the growth of technology made games nearly unplayable at points. Whatever. Long story short is basically after that point he gave up on playing. Fuck the controller update. That bitch could wait.

With the Xbox useless to him, Inuyasha had nothing left to do in the living room. His bedroom wasn't much better. His laptop or the internet was acting up so the show he was streaming kept having to buffer and what should have been a twenty minute show turned into forty.

And then his favourite TV character died. But of course. _Of course_.

And then there was no food. Nowhere. Not a single cracker was to be seen. Not a single can of soup. Not a single slice of bread, mouldy, fresh or otherwise. Inuyasha recognized pretty quickly he was in a bad mood, which wasn't ideal. He was going to see Kagome soon, damn it. Things had to be looking up, right? The day could only get better.

And now, there's this.

Inuyasha wonders at what point he became a soft piece of shit and lost his uncaring, not-give-a-fuck-ing manner. He still, in his heart of hearts, believes that he is this person. Maybe all along he was actually a soft, sad teddy bear and the other persona was a lie. Whatever. Either way, Inuyasha wishes he was a bit like he was a few months ago.

If he was, maybe he wouldn't feel all weird and panicky waiting at the gym doors for Kagome.

Inuyasha checks the time on his phone again and waits. She should be done soon. Probably. He's not nervous. It's not like he hasn't seen her recently. He did on Thursday. Sure, they didn't exactly talk but whatever. Things have been a bit strange since the party and Inuyasha isn't dumb enough to question why. Maybe he should but there's been a lot of fucking maybes in his thoughts this past minute, so fuck it.

The gym doors open and a few athletes filter out, sweaty and red-faced. Kagome is usually one of the last ones to come out so he waits, leaning against a nearby wall. After a couple strange glances from some of the athletes, he gets out his phone and fiddles with it, checking old text messages and praying Kagome comes out soon.

"Hey!"

He can't help it; it's a knee-jerk reaction to look up and see who's talking. Inuyasha nearly takes a step back when there's a guy in front of him, staring _at him_ , and clearly that word was meant _for him_.

Inuyasha blinks, waits. The guy just smiles at him. "…Hi?"

Another guys comes out, all nerdy looking with freckles and blue eyes. He's familiar looking and Inuyasha can't place how or why. "Oh hey, you're Kagome's boyfriend, yeah? Let me go get her." Inuyasha chokes on air and actually has a coughing fit. It's embarrassing, really. But what's worse is the fact that his heart skips a beat, his face heats up which means he's blushing like a damn virgin, and when he tries to take a step forward to stop the freckled guy Inuyasha practically nosedives into the ground.

And he thought the day was going to get better. Ha.

He straightens back up and the other guy who's standing there is giving him a funny look now. Probably because of the flailing disaster that happened before his eyes, but he can't be sure. "Are you okay, man?"

Inuyasha makes a noncommittal noise but every part of his wants to open his mouth and correct them but he can't seem to. Why the fuck do these random archery people think he's dating Kagome? Why did Bankotsu think so too? It's not like they ever kissed or held hands before. It's not like it's _obvious_ or anything.

Maybe he is though. Maybe people take one look at him looking at Kagome and _know_.

The thought sits heavy in his chest.

By now, the archer's eyebrows are near his hairline and he does this odd little dance, like he doesn't know whether to escape or stay. Inuyasha needs to know so he opens his mouth and prays he doesn't regret it. "How did you know?" he asks. It occurs to him seconds later that it sounds like they _are_ together, for which they very much are not. But that wasn't the point of his real question, which was more directed at the fact that they shouldn't have known how Inuyasha…felt.

That's basically what this whole clusterfuck amounts to: a lot of feelings that are completely unnecessary and confusing.

If anything, the guy looks even more uncomfortable. "You guys are always together. Pretty much every time I see you, I see her." Which is stupid logic, because _obviously_. Inuyasha has no other reason to be near this random person. "And you carry her bag and shit. I don't know. What more do you need?"

"Nope," Inuyasha says, unsure if this information makes him feel any better, "nothing else."

"Hey!" Kagome bursts through the doors, a little sweaty and red in the face. She's clearly been training had for the tournament. "I'm just packing up my stuff. You can come in."

Nodding to the archer in goodbye, Inuyasha follows her and waists like usual as she packs everything up. Despite the fact that they haven't really talked face-to-face for the last two weeks, it all seems a bit rote. She finishes with her bow and goes to put stuff in her backpack. Inuyasha grabs the bow case and she stands up, ready to go.

"Thanks," she says, not looking at him as they leave the gym. "I know it sucks to study on break but I really need to get an A in this class."

"It's fine," he replies. He hesitates and then says, "How was practice?"

"Tough." Kagome sighs. "Coach is really on us to do well this year, which is good. It's just I'm behind in some classes and there are like five Maroon spirit events coming up and I could really do with less practices." She waves her hand dismissively, nearly hitting the hallway wall. "It'll end soon though."

Inuyasha doesn't have anything strenuous on his schedule outside of school work. Do Corner Hours parties count?

He doubts it.

"Want to go to the library?"

Inuyasha is smart enough to not say the first thing that comes to mind, which is _what?_ Because why the fuck would they go to the library if Miroku and Sango aren't at the apartment? It would be quiet and comfortable and just the two of them.

Oh. Right.

"Sure," he says, trying to shrug as casually as possible. Are there different types of shrugs? These are things he isn't sure of but Kagome doesn't happen to notice anyways.

The nearest library is only a couple minutes away. It's incredibly quiet in there and Inuyasha can only see about three people inside.

"So how are you feeling?" Kagome asks suddenly, sitting down at one of the tables. "When I saw you last you looked a little white still."

"I was pretty hung over," Inuyasha agrees, nodding. "I don't think I've ever been that drunk before."

"Why the hell would you drink the day after a massive night of drinking?" she asks, grinning. "That just seems like you were _asking_ for misery."

"Kouga and Miroku were trying to make–" Abruptly, Inuyasha realizes what the fuck he was actually going to say. _Trying to make me feel better_. _About you._ Which –no. Fucking no. "They were trying to make a point about being young and shit," he lies, hoping that she won't notice anything as he takes out of his laptop.

"How did that go?"

Inuyasha gives her a glare because she clearly knows how that went.

Chuckling, she shakes her head. "I think I nearly died of laughter watching Miroku's Instagram story. What made you guys sing Justin Bieber?"

It was _Let Me Love You_. Inuyasha thinks the reason is pretty fucking obvious. "Kouga loves him," he says, just to be a shit. "Biggest Belieber out there."

"Uh-huh." Kagome grins. "I noticed you were sleeping under the tree again."

"I don't really remember," Inuyasha replies, because it's true. He only remembers snippets of the evening, like a dream. "I did a lot of things that night."

"Clearly." She's smiling at him, all bright like sunshine again. But maybe, maybe, that's just him. Inuyasha is confused. He's so fucking confused. "So what are you doing this weekend?" she asks. Her attention goes back to her laptop for a moment.

He knows for a fact that she's not asking him for the reasons he wants her to. This was a bad idea. Doing this and being with her was a bad idea. Inuyasha wants things he can't have. "Hanging out. Miroku's back Saturday. The rest of the house is coming back Sunday, I think."

"Well, if you're bored on Sunday, it's the last day of the tournament. Singles, not teams. You should come watch."

"You'll be competing, right?" Inuyasha regrets the question the second it comes out. _Of course_ she's fucking competing you _complete and utter moron_.

"Should be," she replies, as if he question wasn't completely stupid. "It starts in the morning and then depending on how well I do will depend how long I compete." She shrugs and smiles self-deprecatingly. "So you should come in the morning."

Inuyasha snorts. "You'll win, don't be stupid." Kagome blinks, looking at him with an expression he doesn't really get. He doesn't look away even though he really wants to. "What?"

Shaking her head, for reasons that Inuyasha can't figure out, she turns to her laptop and pointedly doesn't answer the question. "Can you send me your notes from Friday? Bankotsu sent me his but not all of it makes sense."

Inuyasha nods distractedly, trying to open all of his notes. He sends her what he has, grabs the mythology textbook and opens it up. Conversation from that point forward is strictly about class. No archery. No drunken adventures. Just mythology.

He's not sure if he's relieved or irritated.

Whatever. Fuck it, right?

* * *

The news hits when Inuyasha is least expecting it. Frankly, he wasn't ever expecting a situation like this but alas, his life. His goddamn life.

 _Fuck Face_ flashes on his cell phone's screen, the vibrations making the few coins on his nightstand jingle. Inuyasha groans, irritated already. He debates for a moment whether he should ignore the call. In the end, he picks up.

The regret is strong.

"Hey."

"Inuyasha," Sesshomaru greets, as bored sounding as ever. "Have you failed anything yet?"

 _No, no. I'm fine. Yes, university has been great! Thanks for asking!_ "Fuck off," he snarls. He debates hanging up. "What do you want?"

"Rin and I are engaged."

Inuyasha opens his mouth, closes it. He chokes then on absolutely nothing, saliva clinging to his throat and making it a billion times worse. Oh god, there are tears in his eyes. He's going to die and the last voice he'll have heard was that of his asshole half-brother. Fuck.

"I'm so glad you're overjoyed," Sesshomaru says, dry as ever. "Myoga informed me that I should, in fact, tell you. I told him you wouldn't care but Rin insisted."

Inuyasha can only imagine what that would look like. "You're getting _married_?"

"I know for a fact you're not stupid. Don't act as if you are such."

Ugh. "Fine, whatever. Congratulations, asshole. I don't know how you managed to convince someone as happy and talkative as Rin to be with you forever."

"No convincing was necessary."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "Doubtful," he mutters.

Either Sesshomaru doesn't hear the comment or he ignores him. Inuyasha is pretty sure it's the latter. "And of course, you will be the best man."

Inuyasha nearly chokes for the second time in less than five minutes. " _What_?"

"Again with the stupidity. No wonder your average is a B. Smarten up. I'll call you again when you're hopefully less irritating to deal with."

He hangs up.

Inuyasha blinks and stares at his cell phone, looking innocently back at him with his home screen. First of all, he's getting an A average, _fuck you very much_. Second, Jesus fucking Christ.

Holy shit.

Inuyasha groans out loud and buries his face in his pillow. If he closes his eyes hard enough, maybe the universe will grant him his wish of a normal family with normal friends and possibly a girlfriend whose name starts with a K and ends in 'agome.'

Wow. Inuyasha groans again. He really is stupid.

* * *

The tournament is a two-day thing that Sango tells him and Miroku about at length while eating sandwiches for lunch on Saturday. Both of them came back from break early; Sango came to watch Kagome and Miroku came to watch Sango. It's both kind of cute and really creepy. Inuyasha doesn't know whether he's jealous or grumpy about it.

"I'm heading over," Sango says, standing up from the table and dropping her plate off in the sink. "You guys are coming tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," Miroku replies, nodding. "What time though?"

Sango makes a face. "I don't know. It starts in the morning but if it's anything like today, it depends on how well they do. If she sucks, she'll get kicked out early. If she's good, she'll go until late afternoon."

Chewing and not really caring if it bothers Sango at all, Inuyasha asks with his mouth full, "How did she do last year?"

"What?" She looks thoroughly disgusted by him.

"How well did she do last year?" Miroku mimics, grinning. Inuyasha holds out his fist to bump because this is why Miroku is his best friend.

"I can't remember," she replies, shaking her head. "But she's really fucking good so she'll go until at least noon."

They make plans to meet, and by that, Inuyasha means that the couple makes plans and all he has to do is tag along.

Saturday isn't anything exciting, although he's glad that at least someone is back in Corner House. The place is great but the peace and quiet is strange considering it's always so loud. The two of them play video games and end up watching a movie until midnight, eating chips and popcorn that are falling all over the cushions and floor.

When he wakes up the next morning in bed, Inuyasha stares at the ceiling. The first thought that comes to his mind is that he's going to see Kagome today.

The second thought is that he's a pathetic loser, Jesus Christ.

* * *

Miroku is whining and Inuyasha is _this close_ to rolling his eyes at him for the umpteenth time. "Why did you take so long to get ready?" he moans, grabbing at Inuyasha's shoulders. "Now we're late and we've missed one of the matches. Kagome destroyed this chick apparently and we should have been there."

Should have but weren't. Inuyasha gives Miroku the side-eye until his best friend lets go of him.

"Sango mad at me is a bad time."

"I thought you were mad at her," Inuyasha says, raising a brow. "Or was that part of the drunken dream?"

Miroku flails instantly, looks around like his girlfriend could be hiding in a nearby bush. Dear god, it's not that big of a deal. He says as much, but Miroku punches him in the shoulder. "You remember?" he asks incredulously.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha rubs at his arm. That kind of hurt, ow. "Not all of it but like, bits and pieces. You guys seem fine though. It's not like you're fighting."

Sighing, Miroku shakes his head. "No, we're not. There's just something I wish would figure itself out so I could feel better." He opens the door to the university's main athletic centre, ushering Inuyasha inside. "Though at this rate, I highly doubt that's ever going to be the case."

If Miroku wants to be cryptic, Inuyasha doesn't care enough to know. He pulls out his phone and texts Sango that they've arrived.

"It should be in the main gym. I think they did this whole set-up," Miroku says, leading them off. Inuyasha follows behind and then suddenly, Sango is there in the hallway, smiling at them.

"Finally," she greets. "Need your beauty sleep, Inuyasha?"

"Obviously." He rolls his eyes because he has the worst friends. "How's it going?"

"Good! Kagome's off with her coach but she has another match in a bit. It'll be the semi-finals. You're so lucky she made it this far." He's pretty sure that Kagome wouldn't care either way.

There are more people in the gymnasium than he expects. There are a few other schools there and different areas of the massive complex are sectioned off. Bleachers cover one whole side and it's surprisingly full of parents, grandparents and friends. Who knew archery was so popular? They hang around for a while, talking about random shit. Sango and Miroku seem fine, no matter what his best friend says. They're as gross and sappy as they always are, sitting close and generally touching one another. If they're having problems, it's pretty hard to tell. If Miroku hadn't said anything, he never would have known.

Eventually, Sango smiles down at her phone and drags them all to one of the sectioned off areas. It looks like another match is being set up. The targets aren't overwhelmingly far away but maybe it has more to do with accuracy than distance. Inuyasha will be the first to admit he knows literally nothing about archery.

Nothing.

He spots Kagome in the corner, paying attention to her bow and nothing else. Her coach stands beside her, talking about something that she nods to every once and a while. She looks so focused; her hair tied back and bangs swept off her face.

"See something you like?" Sango asks suddenly, breaking Inuyasha's thoughts.

He scowls and glares at her. "Can you not?"

"Can you not?" she repeats, voice mangled like she's trying to do a very poor imitation of him. Miroku laughs and ruffles her hair. Inuyasha is definitely not jealous.

Because he knows literally nothing about what's going on, he watches the match with as much interest as he can muster. Kagome is against some blonde whose face is as stoic as a marble statue. They shoot one after the other, over and over again. He knows nothing about the points that are being put up but in the end, Kagome's smile is brightest.

"Shit, she did it," Sango says, hitting both of them on the legs in excitement. "She's going to the finals!" She turns around and smiles at someone sitting pretty close by, an older woman with a teenage boy. She gives them both the thumbs-up and the woman laughs in response.

"Who's that?" Inuyasha asks, staring at them. It's probably rude but the two of them aren't looking his way, so whatever.

"That's Mrs. H, Kagome's mom, and her brother Souta. They came down for the tournament. Souta even took the day off school."

Now that he really looks, he can see how they're obviously related. Souta and Kagome especially with the dark eyes and hair, the pale skin and jawline. "Huh."

The last match – the finals – takes another hour to get to. Literally every other match of the day has to happen first and apparently there's some big hold up from another school. Inuyasha doesn't really mind. He talks with Miroku and jokes around with Sango. They leave the gym for a bit to grab some snacks, sitting in comfier chairs than the hard wooden bleachers.

When it's finally time and only a few minutes before the match, Kagome comes over. She's smiling like she always is but there's a tension in her shoulders that even Inuyasha can see. "Hey," she says, waving. "Thanks for coming."

"Pfft, as if we would miss it," Miroku replies, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I have to say: this is pretty intense."

Kagome's smile gets that much bigger and she ducks her head, looking rather embarrassed. "It's not a big deal."

"Uh, it's the finals," Sango says, giving her a look. "And you're clearly going to kill it."

"Well don't jinx it," she whines.

"Yeah Sango, be a little considerate," Inuyasha adds, nudging her in the ribs.

The smile is directed his way and Inuyasha gets a little lost.

"I'm going to go talk to my mom but I'll see you guys after, yeah? Dinner?" Kagome asks.

It must have been something they spoke about before because Sango nods, pushing her off. Inuyasha watches as the judges all get together and papers are passed around, signatures flying. Whatever they're doing to set-up takes a hell of a lot longer than expected. He loses sight of Kagome in the crowd but finds her again when the announcement for the final match is made. It seems like everyone in the gym has gathered around to watch. Inuyasha, Sango and Miroku stand on the nearest bleacher to make sure nothing is missed.

Again, Inuyasha is going to be blunt: he has no fucking idea what's going on. Really, it's no different than the other match he saw. Kagome and this other woman are side-by-side, waiting on the other to shoot. Kagome shoots first and then sets up her shot while the other girl goes.

Sango makes little gasping noises that make Inuyasha nervous. There's only a low chatter around, most people remaining quiet for the match. Kagome shoots again and it looks good, it looks _perfect_ , but she doesn't look too happy about it. Moments later she aims, bow as steady as ever. Inuyasha breathes in, then out and all of a sudden the arrow flies.

There's clapping all around but its scattered as the next archer lines up her shot. She shoots.

" _Yes!_ " Sango cheers, jumping up and down. It's very clear that Kagome's won, if nothing else than by the smile on her face. An announcement is made over the speaker system but Inuyasha can't look away, can only watch as Kagome shakes the hand of her competitor and then thanks the judges. She's so fucking happy and he sees it in the way she moves.

There's literally no time to talk to her. Kagome is surround by teammates and then the whole team is ushered towards another area of the gym where the podium and medals are. "I'm so proud of her," Sango says, bouncing on her toes as they find another good place to watch. "This has been stressing her out for months."

Maybe it's creepy, but Inuyasha really can't take his eyes away from her. They stand nearby but off to the side and he's vaguely aware that Kagome's mother and brother are beside them with cameras out. Medals and trophies are given out – to teams and finally, to individuals.

When her name is called, Inuyasha isn't surprised by the sheer amount of cheering that erupts. It's not just them but it's teammates and classmates. So many people are crowded around and Kagome's smile is so wide as she goes up onto the podium, the highest of the other girls. She bends slightly to accept the first place medal.

And then that's it. There she is, a gold medal fresh around her neck and her dark brown eyes are somehow on his, all big and happy and her _smile_. She's radiant; it's the only word that comes to mind. She's so goddamn happy it's like she's glowing and amidst all of it, Inuyasha is shocked to see that Kagome is looking at him. There are so many people surrounding them, so many friends and peers but somehow, someway, her gaze is on him.

 _Him_.

He waits for her eyes to turn away as her team surrounds her the moment pictures are done. Sango is looking far too proud beside him, beaming herself and clapping. Miroku is taking video and cheering far too loudly. It's a commotion so Inuyasha does that only thing he can think of and steps away. He leaves the main gym, grabbing his cell phone out of his pocket. It's not too hard to find a quiet corner, away from the bustling of students and athletes. For a moment, he leans against the wall and thinks.

He hits a name under his favourite contacts and waits for the ringing to stop.

"Inuyasha, what a pleasure!" Myoga greets, undeniably pleased. "How are you doing? Are you coming home soon?"

It makes sense that their caretaker would ask them, given it's the only time Inuyasha usually reaches out. This time, that's not the case but he– He doesn't know who else to talk to. Sure as fuck not Sesshomaru. Plus, he need someone outside of the situation.

"No," Inuyasha says eventually, realizing he let too much time pass. "Uh, not yet but soon. I'm calling because I need your advice. There's no one else–" He hesitates and waves a hand at nothing, even though Myoga clearly can't see him. "I don't know what to do."

"What's it about?" Myoga asks. "I can try my best."

Inuyasha can't help but huff at that, considering the old man has never not done anything perfectly. His father wasn't exactly the kind of man who let incompetency rule. "You know that girl I like? Kagome?" The old man hums in agreement. "How do you know if a person likes you? And I mean that in the sense of dating."

Myoga hums again, tone serious. "Well, unless they tell you there's no actual way to know."

"That's not helpful," Inuyasha replies.

"It wasn't meant to be," Myoga presses. "Why do you think there are so many movies and books on this stuff? If love was easy, we wouldn't care so much about it."

Also completely unhelpful. Inuyasha gives his cell phone the side-eye, a little disappointed Myoga couldn't see it.

"But honestly? I'll tell you this. When your father met your mother, he was a wreck." The caretaker starts chuckling, amused on things Inuyasha can't understand. "He was scared that falling in love with Izayoi would be the same as falling in love with Inukimi. He was scared it would end the same way too."

He stops talking and Inuyasha waits, pretty sure Myoga's about to drop some big life lesson. The type of lesson that would make him miss his father, that would make him feel more confident, that would make this an easy decision. He waits for more.

There's only silence.

"Well?" he exclaims.

"Well what?" Myoga asks.

Inuyasha rolls his eyes to the ceiling. Jesus, Sesshomaru may have actually been better for this conversation. "Well what happened then? What made him realize that it was worth it?"

"Nothing." Myoga scoffs and there's the sound of running water down the line. "He didn't realize anything. He just asked your mother out. This isn't some storybook romance, Inuyasha. No one needs to have an epiphany. You're smart enough to know that. Now, stop talking to me and go ask Kagome out. I'm too old for drama like this."

Fine. Fucking fine. If Myoga is sick of it then dear god, he can't imagine Miroku. The guy has been watching him struggle with this practically all school year.

Fine.

He's going to do it.

"Thanks Myoga," Inuyasha says. "I'll let you know when I'm coming back to visit."

"Please do. Take care."

Inuyasha ends the call and grips his phone tightly in his hands. He can do this. All he needs to do is find Kagome in the gym. He'll ask, just flat out. Rip the Band-Aid off all at once. It's easy. If someone as emotionally stunted as Sesshomaru could get _engaged_ , then surely Inuyasha could have an actual girlfriend. Not a hook-up. Not a casual understanding. A relationship. The Big R.

He gets back to the gym. Barely anyone is in there.

"For fuck's sake," Inuyasha mutters, pulling up his text messages. His first instinct is to message Kagome but for some reason, he decides to not. Miroku is his best friend. Miroku will know what's going on.

 _Where r u,_ he sends.

The grey bubble of dots pops up and Inuyasha swears it's the longest five seconds of his life.

 _Where are YOU?_

Useless. What a useless best friend. _Looking fr Kagome._

The grey bubble comes up and then after a few seconds it disappears, as if Miroku's completely changed his mind. It takes another moment where Inuyasha wonders if this is maybe some sort of fucking _sign_ but then, Miroku comes through. _Try her place. She was changing before we all met for dinner. You coming?_

Her place. Kagome is back at her place.

Taking off, Inuyasha leaves the gym and starts jogging. The weather outside isn't warm but his mind doesn't even consider the fact that he should have worn a jacket. He needs to ask her, to get everything out in the open.

It's not crazy. It's normal. Normal people do this all the time. They ask out girls and boys and live merry little lives. This is perfectly normal.

Inuyasha practically vaults over some asshole who is lying on the grass in _February_ , who _does that shit_? When they're sober, anyways.

It's going to happen. He's going to ask out Kagome. He leaves campus, still jogging. Her place isn't that far. What is he going to do say though? Is he just going to blurt it out or will he build up to it? What does he do if she says no?

Fuck, that's right. She can say no. She may full-well _say no_ , considering when they were cuddling after the party she purposely ignored him. He should stop running.

But no. No. It's fucking time. This whole thing has been a pain in his goddamn ass since the beginning of the year. He's _done_. Inuyasha is going to ask her out, come hell or high water.

He runs past Corner House, not stopping. He's not going to stop.

Nope, he's going to actually go through with this. For the first time, it occurs to him that this is by far the craziest thing he's ever done. That includes falling asleep drunk under a tree on a Tuesday night. Inuyasha has said it from the beginning: he and Kagome shouldn't be together. They're too different. She's happy and outgoing and has tons of friends and does shit. Inuyasha plays video games and gets good grades, sure, but he's not a shining star for making friends. He doesn't willingly go out of his way to meet new people.

And yet. And yet Kagome wiggled into his goddamn fucking life like a crazy person. The two of them don't make sense and they shouldn't make sense but he's going for it anyways.

He doesn't stop running. He's jogging, out of breath but pushing forward because Inuyasha knows what he's like. If he stops, he sure as hell isn't going to do it. This is his only chance to make it right.

He's going to ask Kagome Higurashi out. Gold-medal archer. Instagram star. Friendly as fuck to everyone she meets. _She bought his coffee the first day they met_.

Only crazy people do that. Insane people. People who think that everyone is a good person deep down.

Kagome's crazy. Inuyasha gets to her building just as someone is leaving so he sneaks in the doorway. He races up the stairs, panting, but in the grand scheme of things this is nothing compared to what she's done. Kagome has taken stupid photos and videos with him, has forced him to go tobogganing and study consistently for a class that's never going to be useful to him in real life. She's made him think about her endlessly, compare himself to others, made him wonder if she was flirting or just being friendly. It's a fine line sometimes but Inuyasha's never been good at understanding it. He doesn't understand people.

But Kagome.

Kagome he wants to try.

He knocks on her door. The sound is extremely loud given that the hallway is so quiet. He's panting so hard it's frankly embarrassing. Inuyasha should be ashamed. Why is he even here? Holy shit, this is so mortifying. He should be _horrified_ at himself right now. He's standing in front of Kagome's door, red-faced and out of breath. This is insane. He's crazy. _She's_ crazy. This is–

The door opens and Kagome looks at him, confusion written all over her face even though she's smiling slightly. "Wh–"

"Tell me I'm crazy."

Kagome blinks at him, mouth open like she wants to say something but can't. She's still so fucking beautiful and all he does is _want_.

Inuyasha stays where he is, even though every fibre of his being is screaming for him to _run_. "Tell me I'm crazy."

"You're…" She's looking at him like she doesn't know whether to laugh or be seriously concerned. "You're crazy?"

"Oh, thank god." Inuyasha takes a step forward and before he can lose his nerve, he gently grabs her sides and pulls her closer, watching her dark brown eyes. She's staring up at him, clearly surprised but saying nothing. Her hands grip his forearms, keeping him there and Inuyasha has one brief moment of complete and utter relief before he leans down and does something he's wanted to do for so, so long.

He kisses her and any thoughts of being crazy disappear like they were never there at all.

* * *

 **Next Time on** _ **Tell Me I'm Crazy**_ _ **:**_ "Can't be," he argues, mouth moving against his own will. Well then, apparently it's not fine. "You made that face in January." He's a monster with literally no self-control.

"I made what face in January?"

" _The_ face. You were doing that archery show at the gym where you won? And me, Sango and Miroku were all there. You were perfectly happy and then you saw me."

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Billie11:_ Well you're not getting your answers this chapter, but definitely next. Hope you liked this one anyways!

 _Bookish:_ Thank you so much! I hope you're enjoying the story!

 _Pooko:_ Well here you go! Thank you so much dear.

 _ThatGirl:_ Right? My university experience was similar to this in a lot of ways but I didn't have that house interaction. And honestly, I had a great place off-campus. We were always hanging out and playing games, but it certainly wasn't like how I wrote this story. I'm a little jealous too XD Thanks love!

 _Mal_ _:_ Considering the confidence alcohol gives me, I'm frankly glad this is the only thing that happened. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last! Thank you!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** This entire story was created based off the idea that Inuyasha would do an epic run from campus to Kagome's apartment, just so he could kiss her in the doorway like every good romantic-comedy deserves.

 **Feedback is love.**


	13. Part XIII

**Author's Note:** This is not the end.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part XIII**

* * *

This is probably the single greatest thing that's ever happened to him. Inuyasha will even admit that out loud, if ever asked. Because kissing Kagome?

It's fucking amazing.

She makes this noise, a little bit desperate sounding that goes straight to his dick. That part is a little embarrassing but he pulls her closer anyways. He is not going to let her go, even as he has to pull away to take in air.

Kagome's big, dark brown eyes are staring at him and together they breathe, once, twice, and then he's leaning back down, unable to stay away for longer than that. Her hands dance up his shoulders, a shiver running through him that he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. Her fingers tangle in his hair, a slight tug and it's like a switch in him has been flipped. There has to be a destination now, backwards into the room at least; to a couch or a _bed_ , preferably–

"Oh, uh."

Kagome quite literally jumps out of his arms, putting space between them that he very much does not want. It's not until he looks at her and then follows her gaze that he realizes–

Oh. Oh _shit_.

"Mom," Kagome says, running a hand through her hair. Not his, _hers_. And speaking of running, right now would be a really good fucking time for him to disappear.

Mrs. H stands there, an expression on her face that Inuyasha doesn't understand. "Sorry sweetie," her mom says. "I, uh, didn't realize."

"Nope, my fault. Uh, well, this is Inuyasha," Kagome says, waving her hands at him like she's trying to present him. And no, _no_.

He looks at Mrs. H and tries on a smile. He can tell without looking in a mirror that it's horrifying. "Hi?"

Kagome clearly got her kindness from her mother though because Mrs. H walks forward enough to politely reach out and shake his hand. "It's wonderful to meet you. You were with Sango earlier, right?"

He nods vigorously because words are failing him. It's like they all just leaked out of his brain. This is a disaster of epic proportions.

"Are you joining us for dinner?" Mrs. H asks suddenly. At least she looks delighted rather than Inuyasha's expected horror.

"He is," Kagome replies, quick enough that he can't back out. "That's why he's here and _not_ with Miroku and Sango. I forgot to tell you we needed to give him a ride."

A ride? He has a car. Why the fuck would he need a ride anywhere? Inuyasha stares at her for a moment before it finally clicks into place. Her unimpressed look tells him that it took far too long to do so. No wonder Kagome was already back at her apartment. Mrs. H drove up with her brother so they drove Kagome back to the apartment. _Right_.

Kagome nudges him and just like that, he knows words again. "Yes," he says, feeling his cheeks heat. Oh fuck, this is so fucking embarrassing. "If you, uh, don't mind. I lost Miroku and Sango at the gym so they took the bus without me."

"Of course, we have more than enough room. I'll just tell Souta to sit in the front seat then, shall I?" Mrs. H smiles at them both but there's a twinkle in her eye. Kagome's rolling her own so that was definitely a dig.

"I thought Souta was coming up."

"We didn't think you'd be ready so fast. Apparently, all you need is motivation." Another smile, bigger this time. Inuyasha looks between mother and daughter and tries his best not to feel like the most awkward individual to have ever existed.

Kagome sighs dramatically, heading back into the apartment. "Let me get my purse."

They lock up and head towards the underground parking lot where the family vehicle sits. To make things even worse, Souta is sitting in the back. Inuyasha is a younger brother; he knows the rules of the car when an older sibling is around. Kagome opens the back door. "You get the front," she says, already crawling inside and pushing at him.

"What?" Souta asks. He's confused but then his eyes land on Inuyasha and suddenly the teenager is grinning like he won the lottery. " _No way_."

"Shut up or I'll hit you," Kagome threatens, sternly pointing a finger at him. "Go."

Mrs. H gets in the driver's side and starts the SUV, waiting patiently for them all to get settled. Apparently she knows exactly where she's going because she pulls onto the road, no questions asked.

Which is a problem.

Why? The car is completely silent.

Souta has turned in his seat and is looking at Inuyasha like he's the goddamn Santa Claus. His eyes are just as dark as his sister's and it's a little strange. "So…" He lets the word hang, grinning.

"Inuyasha, meet my annoying little brother, Souta," Kagome introduces. "Souta, meet Inuyasha."

"Your _friend_?" Souta asks slyly.

Inuyasha looks incredulously at Mrs. H. The woman is freaking smiling. She finds this just as amusing. Wow, he is so fucked.

"I never said that," Kagome replies haughtily.

"It didn't look like it earlier," Mrs. H _singsongs_. The woman _singsongs_ just to screw with them.

He turns to Kagome, terrified. "If this is you in twenty years, I'm in a lot of trouble."

"Twenty years," Mrs. H says, looking at him through the rear view mirror. She's smiling, he can tell from the lines by her eyes. "How sweet of you to say!"

Inuyasha does that really awful imitation of a smile and then gives Kagome the side-eye. He refuses to say anything else. For the most part, that works. Kagome talks to her mother about back home and it's enough to keep everyone occupied until they arrive at the restaurant. Kagome shows him a message from Sango that they already have a table. It would stand to reason then that the couple knew Inuyasha was coming.

Whether they did or not doesn't seem to matter.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku exclaims loudly when he enters with the rest of them. "How good to see you! We lost you."

"Well I made it," he replies, trying not to twitch.

Sango frowns. It takes a moment for him to realize that she's looking at Kagome, who's very pointedly focusing on her family. The two of them are best friends though so that can only mean she sees something off with Kagome. Which translates into Inuyasha being utterly fucked, and not in the fun way.

"So," Inuyasha says, trying to distract her. "How was the bus over here?"

"Pretty easy though a ride from you would have been better," Sango replies. She raises her brow at him. "What even happened?"

"Uh, I had a call."

"A call?"

Inuyasha nods, trying to play it off casually. "Myoga, you know. He's old and likes to talk."

His best friend gives him a look, clearly onto him. Thankfully, Miroku says nothing but Sango continues on, not buying it. "Really? You just upped and disappeared."

 _Maybe people just like disappearing from you_ , he thinks, remembering the Valentine's Day party and Kagome coming into his room. He doesn't say it though. That would be mean.

Inuyasha blinks and looks down at the cutlery. Everyone is distracted by the server that comes by but all he can think about is how he never would have held back a couple months ago.

Friendship really ruins a person. Huh.

* * *

The ceiling is really not as useful as he would want it to be.

Dinner went… Okay. Everyone just had some food and talked and in the end, Kagome had a big dessert and everyone was happy. Mrs. H drove Kagome and Souta back to the apartment and he, Miroku and Sango took the bus back to Corner House. The couple were planning on going to some movie that recently came out so Inuyasha did the only thing he could think of. He went upstairs, lay on his bed, and wallowed a bit.

It's been a solid hour and a half of wallowing. He feels pretty accomplished.

Stupid family dinners. They're really fucking inconvenient, Inuyasha thinks. If there hadn't been dinner than he and Kagome could… Well, make out some more, that's for sure. Kagome _kissed him back_ so that meant good things.

It means, for sure, that he's not in this alone at least.

His door bursts open and looks up sharply, ready to yell at whichever asshole roommate decided to barge in.

"Hey," Kagome says, shutting the door and looking a little sheepish. "Uh, hi."

She's in his room. Again. How?

"My family left and so I figured it would be best if I came over?" Kagome's looking at him with those beautiful dark eyes but she's still standing at the door, as if she's unsure whether she can come in. "We didn't exactly talk."

"Uh." It takes a moment for his brain to catch up. One minute he's sadly staring at the ceiling and the next, _Kagome_. "Yeah, okay." He sits up and moves to the far side of the bed. He doesn't want to say he feels relieved when she ignores the desk chair for the bed too, but he wouldn't know how else to describe it. They're not even touching; Kagome's getting comfortable and looking at him like she's waiting for something. Apparently, she's not going to talk first.

Fuck. Because he's _so great_ at talking. "How…are you?"

Kagome frowns at him for a second before she laughs, shaking her head. "I'm good. How are you?"

"Fine?" Definitely a question. This situation has gotten really weird. Nobody would blame him.

"You kissed me back at my place," Kagome says finally. She has that look on her face again, the one that seems uncertain.

Inuyasha nods. He can't exactly _lie_. They were both there.

There's more silence but it doesn't last long because Kagome huffs, clearly getting frustrated. "I guess what I want to know is whether you kissed me to hook up or you kissed me because you want to, you know, date."

How is this even a question? "I literally ran from campus to your apartment to kiss you." Isn't that shit in the movies or something? Dear god, it's practically as bad as playing a boom box outside her window, declaring his love.

"Like, that points towards wanting to date me but you've been sending mixed signals, so I don't really know what to believe." Kagome shrugs.

Inuyasha nearly _loses it_. He was sending mixed signals? _Him_? "What?"

"Mixed signals," she repeats. "I know you don't date people and tend to hook up. Which is totally fine! I'm not, like, against it. But sometimes I notice you staring and I can't tell if it's because you like _me_ or if you want to just have sex." She scratches at her neck, looking awkward. It's not something he's used to seeing on her and it makes her words even more difficult to take in. "At first, I would've been fine with it but now…" She shrugs again. "Not so much."

He's so _confused_ right now, Jesus Christ. "So you…don't like me?" Because that's more or less what he got out of it.

Kagome frowns. "What? No, I want to _date_ you."

And he wants to date her. Obviously. "I've been wanting to ask you out for months so–"

" _Months_?" Kagome actually sounds irritated. Her hands wave in the air, an exclamation to her words. "But you told Miroku you'd never date me so how the hell have you been wanting to date me for months?"

Oh. _Ohhhhhhh_. It's finally clicking now and Inuyasha can't help it; he laughs, running both hands through his hair just for something to do that's not _touching her_. "I didn't know you heard that. I was trying to get him to back off because he's been on my case about asking you out for forever."

Kagome narrows her eyes at him. "Seriously?"

He nods. For once in his life, Inuyasha feels brave. He feels like at this moment, he can do no wrong. Because out of everyone at this school, out of everyone that she knows, Kagome likes _him_. It's so crazy and yet the best goddamn thing. Leaning forward, he crawls over to her. "Go out with me?" he asks, less than a foot away.

"Finally, oh my god," Kagome says, right before launching herself at him. They're kissing and Inuyasha will let her do _anything_. Her hands are on his chest, pushing him down onto the bed so she can crawl on top. This is literally better than any fantasy that he could ever come up with. Inuyasha's almost scared to touch her, hands sliding from her sides to hold her and keep her close. And then it strikes him.

"Wait," he says, pulling back as much as he can with his head on the mattress. "Wait."

Kagome props herself up a little, her long black hair falling along the sides like a curtain. She looks concerned, teeth biting at her lower lip that's already red. _He_ did that. Every inch of her is pressed against him, arms bracketing his face. Her breaths are coming a little faster and all he can think about is if it would be hard to completely take her breath _away_.

"You didn't actually say yes," he explains, voice coming out far rougher than it should have. He'd be embarrassed but honestly? He's not.

"Ugh," Kagome complains but those rosy lips split into a smile. "You're ridiculous."

"You didn't say."

"I guess not." Kagome smiles down at him and with her hair all around them, it's so easy to get lost.

He leans up, only a tiny bit, and kisses her as chastely as he can. Because he wants to. He can feel her smile against his lips.

"Yeah," she murmurs, the word coming out on an exhale. "We can do that."

It's his turn to wind his fingers through her hair and pull her back down. The kiss isn't simple or sweet or chaste. It's hot and slick and he can't help but pull her tighter against him. He rolls them over and they break just enough for Kagome's laugh to ring out, bright and genuine like the freaking sun.

* * *

Inuyasha figures it's only fair to let Miroku know. Kagome's still sleeping upstairs, buried under his pillows and comforter, and while it was really difficult to leave the bed, he could hear his best friend downstairs. Considering Miroku's been his cheerleader the whole time, it's best to put the guy out of his misery. Miroku in a lot of ways is probably more excited than he is.

Well, that's a blatant lie. But it gets the point across.

"Hey," Inuyasha says, entering the kitchen. Miroku is shutting the oven door and turns around as he adjusts the timer.

"Morning," he replies. "How was your night?"

"Good. Uh." Inuyasha rubs at the back of his neck. "So, last night. Kagome and I got together."

Miroku literally freezes, one hand frozen in mid-air as the words sink in. The change is so sudden that when he finally does move and attack Inuyasha, it's a complete surprise. His best friend is grinning. "You and Kagome are together? Officially? Like dating and going to get married and shit?"

"Sure?"

"Sango!" Miroku yells, far too loud right by his ear. "SANGO!"

"She's here?" Inuyasha asks, a little worried. He doesn't honestly know what Sango would think about it. She's pretty awesome so he thinks he's safe. However, it's obvious Sango would kill him if anything were to happen. There would at least be some kind of shovel talk.

"SANGO! COME HERE!" Miroku practically bounces away, opening up the freezer. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?" Inuyasha asks.

"What's happening?" Sango bursts into the room, eyes round like she's expecting some sort of impending disaster.

"Kagome and Inuyasha are finally dating!" Miroku cheers. He pulls a bottle of vodka out of the freezer. "SHOTS!"

"What? It's _morning_."

Miroku rolls his eyes and scoffs. "Not for you, asshole. For _us_. Do you know how hard it's been to wait for this to happen? Do you know how hard it was for me to know but not say anything for fear of death and dismemberment?"

Inuyasha crosses his arms. "You _knew_? You knew she wanted to date me and you didn't say anything?"

"It's my fault," Sango cuts in, grabbing his arm. She looks at him apologetically. "Kagome told me and I told Miroku but I shouldn't have. She didn't want me to say anything and–" She blows out a breath. "Don't be mad."

Irritated? A little. But he's not mad so he rolls his eyes and doesn't shake off her grip.

Miroku presents two shots glasses, both tinged slightly orange with juice. "It's breakfast," he defends, before clinking glasses. The couple downs the shots, both of them making faces.

"I'm going back to bed," Inuyasha sighs. "Don't have celebration sex on the table, please."

* * *

This is normally the part of a story where the credits start to roll. The guy gets the girl and there's a fun end-scene and everyone is just _really happy_.

But this is real life so it doesn't end.

School also still sucks.

"Why?" Inuyasha groans, grabbing Kagome's bow case and nodding at the freckled guy whose name he will never, ever learn. "Why is he giving us an extra quiz?"

"Think of it this way," Kagome replies. "You'll be extra prepared for the exam."

"Exam." Inuyasha hates the way that word sounds. "It's like March."

Kagome snorts. "Yeah and classes end on March 31st this year. Exams are literally a month away."

"I thought you were supposed to be nice to me."

She pats at his shoulder, shaking his head. "So naïve. So pretty." He groans again and Kagome laughs, nudging him like they usually do as they exit the gym. "Sango and Miroku will be there. I think she made chip dip."

"Because that's really going to get me to study," Inuyasha agrees. "And seriously, are they _actually_ going to study? Because sometimes when we leave the room they make out. I think it's like a game to them to see if we catch them." He's not complaining but like, he's complaining. They've been dating for months now. They need to get out of the honeymoon phase already.

"If it bothers you that much, we can make out when _they_ leave the room. Give them a taste of their own medicine." Kagome says this with all of the casualness of discussing the weather but this is _revolutionary_.

Inuyasha stares at her, unable to hold back his expression. It probably looks _way_ too happy. "That's brilliant."

"I'm surprised you didn't come up with it first," Kagome replies.

And what is he going to say to that? Inuyasha's first instinct is to reply that he's not overly sure she'd want to do that. Which is strange because they've made out _a lot_ as of recent. Enough so that every time Kouga enters the room when the two of them are in it, he groans and backs away, closing his eyes. Hey, they're not like Sango and Miroku. Kouga should be fucking grateful.

Kagome's looking at him now, a little strangely. Her head is tilted like she's trying to read his mind. She nudges him again and smiles. "To make it more fun, maybe we can just make out while they're still in the room? You know, make the discomfort swift and painful."

"They did make out all the time when I was in the room with them," Inuyasha replies, nodding along. "It was really awkward. I didn't have a girlfriend and was pretty sure the girl I liked wasn't interested so…"

Just like that, Kagome reaches out and grabs his hand, threading their fingers together. She tugs a little and Inuyasha can feel his chest clench, his heartrate escalating. These are the things that she does to him. It's really pathetic.

Inuyasha's shockingly okay with it.

"It's okay," Kagome says quietly, smiling up at him. "They would make out while I was in the room and I was pretty sure the guy I liked wasn't interested in a relationship either so." She shrugs. "We kind of fit, you know?"

It's the kind of line that makes him roll his eyes. He doesn't stop himself, even though he knows he'll probably insult her. They're boyfriend and girlfriend; not pod people. "Did you read that out of some Nicholas Sparks novel?"

"Ah ha!" Kagome crows. "So you do know him! You liar, you said you didn't know anything about _The Notebook_!"

"I don't!" Shit, shit, shit. Mayday. Mayday. "And I refuse to watch it. That crosses a line."

"Oh, it does, does it?" Kagome challenges. "You'll go out of your way to make your best friends uncomfortable by making out with me but you won't watch a chick-flick with me?"

Oh god, he's never going to win. By the gleam in Kagome's eyes, she knows it too. Hell, Inuyasha's pretty sure she doesn't even want to watch that shit with him. She's taunting for the fun of it and he's baited, just like always. "I'll watch anything _but that_."

"You're afraid to cry in front of me, I get it."

"What? Why the fuck would I cry?" he asks.

Kagome sniffs. "Now who wants to watch _The Notebook_?"

He nudges her a little harder than usual, sending her into the grass of some other person's lawn. Kagome laughs and shoves back at him.

The entire time, their hands are linked.

* * *

They end up watching _The Proposal_ because Miroku loves Sandra Bullock and Kagome said so.

Literally zero studying is done.

Inuyasha's enjoying himself anyways.

* * *

It's a random Wednesday and it starts with him and Kouga. The two of them are sitting on the couch playing Mario Kart. Kouga's Bowser keeps bumping his Toad and Inuyasha is trying incredibly hard not to lose his shit over it. The soccer athlete keeps giving him these little tiny _looks_ , like he knows exactly what's happening. Asshole.

"Whatcha playing?" Hachi asks, entering the room with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. He's always eating or complaining. He's not going to miss it when the big guy is gone.

He's not.

Inuyasha's Toad spins out and he growls in frustration. "Come on!"

"Ah, Mario Kart," Hachi answers himself, stuffing another handful of popcorn into his mouth. He says, mid-chew, "Kouga's winning, right?"

"Yes," Kouga replies.

"Fuck off," Inuyasha cuts in. "It's not over yet."

"Now that," Miroku announces, entering the room, "sounds like a really bad one-liner for someone about to get a beating." His best friend flops down on the sofa between them, arms along the back like he plans on cuddling them both. "I call dibs on the winner."

"So you'll be playing me then." Kouga chuckles when Inuyasha groans again, the final lap's music playing now that he's crossed the line.

There's a commotion that Inuyasha only sees right when it bursts into the living room. Almost all of his attention is focused on the game but when Hakkaku is nearly thrown in front of him, he glares at his roommate. "What the fuck? Guys, come on!"

"Hey, it's his fault!" Hakkaku complains, pointing at Ginta. "He's the dickbag that's shoving me around. You want to be pissed at anyone, blame him."

Ginta rolls his eyes. Inuyasha loses. He tosses the controller angrily at Miroku and glares up at the ceiling. Fuckers, all of them. "Is everyone hanging out in here then?" Ginta asks, shoving past Hakkaku to sit beside Hachi. "Ooh, can I play next?"

"How about I play next since you're being such an asshole to me?" Hakkaku slaps Ginta on the back of the head but for some reason, probably due to their overwhelming co-dependency, he sits beside him on the arm of the sofa anyways.

"Why are you being a dick, Ginta?" Kouga asks with an air of distraction, setting up Bowser to race against Peach. Inuyasha secretly hopes Miroku _destroys_ him.

Ginta shrugs. He's a lying liar and if Inuyasha can tell then it has to be obvious to everyone. Hachi is giving them both the side-eye, already two-hundred percent done with their shit. "Ask Hakkaku. He clearly things I'm the bad guy here."

"I _told you_ that I wanted to ask out Sakura. I _told you_ several weeks ago. And you never said anything about the fact that you liked her too!" Hakkaku exclaims, crossing his arms. "You never said so now – _now_ – he's pushing me and shit because he's all pissy about the fact that I have a date with her."

"Aren't you dating each other?" Miroku quips, raising a brow at them.

Hakkaku flips him off. The joke is far too old but Inuyasha still grins and nudges his best friend anyways. The race is about to start and for some reason they're doing Wario's racetrack. All the cheating is going to occur. Kouga won't know what hit him. Inuyasha leans over and whispers in his best friend's ear, " _Take him down_."

"Mmm, yes, talk dirty to me," Miroku replies, not even looking in his direction.

"And you two say _we're_ co-dependant," Ginta scoffs.

Naraku snorts in the doorway. "But at least Miroku and Inuyasha have girlfriends who separate them occasionally."

Inuyasha frowns, confused. How the hell did Naraku even know that? It's not like he and Kagome are keeping their relationship a secret, but it's still a couple weeks new and they haven't been doing anything couple-y in front of him. Half the time, Inuyasha's pretty sure Naraku doesn't even live there. Corner House is just his casual place for yoga and DJing.

"Wait, hold up," Hachi says, literally holding his hand up because he's extra like that. "You have a girlfriend?"

The question is obviously directed towards him. Inuyasha tries to not be overly insulted by the clear surprise in the engineer's voice. "Yeah."

"Who?" Hachi demands, smacking his hand down. The bowl of popcorn nearly goes flying but Ginta saves it at the last second, glaring.

Kouga snorts. "Dear god, _who_. Have you not seen what's been happening this entire fucking school year? All the pining and moping? All the heart-eyes? He's been depressing."

Hachi frowns.

"I'm dating Kagome," Inuyasha says, before anyone else can say something more embarrassing about him.

"Where did you take her?" Hakkaku asks, leaning forward. "Because, you know, I'm wondering if it was any good and if you can help a bro out and let me copy it." Ginta sighs dramatically, forever the exasperated wife.

Inuyasha gives Hakkaku the side-eye, even though he really doesn't have the excuse of playing Mario Kart. "What?"

"Jeez, you're slow," Hakkaku whines. "Where did you take her for your date?"

"We–" Well, they haven't gone out yet. School kind of really started to kick their asses after the break. They've been hanging out and texting constantly but they haven't gone anywhere. There must be panic on his face because Miroku bursts out laughing, even as he shoots a red shell and Peach's voice goes _Bingo! Bye-bye!_ "Shut up," Inuyasha mutters. "It's been busy."

"Wait a minute," Kouga says, as loud and bold as someone who's about to make a stupid declaration. "You've been pining over this girl for months and now that you're dating you don't actually do what you're now allowed to do and _date_ her?"

Put like that, he sounds like a fucking moron. Inuyasha looks at the athlete and wonders exactly what to say.

"You know she really likes you," Miroku continues. His Peach crosses the finish line just as Bowser bashes into the wall for the millionth time. He tosses the controller to Ginta, triumphant. "She's not going to break up with you. That's not why you're hesitating, right?"

 _What_? "Christ, you need to stop pretending to be Dr. Phil," Inuyasha complains, shaking his head. "No, that's not it. We just haven't yet. It's not a big deal."

"Wait, you haven't had sex yet?" Hachi demands, and seriously, _what the fuck_.

But, like, no?

"We're talking about dating, you idiot," Hakkaku huffs, indignant like he's the one that's being questioned. "Not sex."

Hachi shoves more popcorn into his mouth and shrugs. "Ju' take 'er ou–" He chokes a little.

"Where?" Hakkaku asks, exasperated. "Miroku, where did you take Sango?"

His best friend is doing that weird eyebrow wiggle thing he does sometimes, which for some reason he believes to be considered sexy. It's not. Not by any stretch of the imagination. "I took her on a one way trip to–"

"Okay, no," Inuyasha interrupts, smacking his hand over top of Miroku's mouth. "Kouga, what about you?"

Kouga raises a brow. "You're asking me?"

"Well you're dating Ayame!"

"We went to like a park and had dinner," Kouga answers, sighing. "It had a trail. I don't know, she suggested that place. She likes nature and shit."

Ginta snickers and smacks Hakkaku on the leg. "Man, you're so fucked."

Inuyasha nods but realizes pretty quickly that he's also, equally, as fucked.

Dating. Dating.

He can date.

He will date the fuck out of Kagome.

Getting up off the couch, Inuyasha grabs his cell phone and disappears into the kitchen for a beer. Dating. He can do this.

* * *

He can't do this.

He's not panicking, per se, but his grip on the steering wheel is maybe tighter than it needs to be. And Kagome's giving him a look. Not a bad look, but a look all the same.

"Inuyasha," Kagome murmurs quietly, barely heard over the low hum of music. "Are you okay?"

"Me? Fine." He's not fine, but that's never something he'll admit. He turns to watch her for a moment, eyes briefly away from the road. He can't really parse her expression but that's not unusual. Inuyasha tries not to sigh and goes back to watching where they're going.

It's silent for a moment longer and then Kagome snorts, loud and inelegant, before she cracks up laughing. "Oh my god, you're so nervous. Why are you _nervous_?"

"I'm not nervous," he snaps back.

"You are!" Kagome shakes her head, incredulous. "The only question is _why_?"

Why? Why? Is she actually asking that? Inuyasha signals to turn right and wishes that this never came up. "I said I'm not nervous."

"Uh huh." He can't see her face but he can only imagine the look she's giving him. She's probably smiling. It's like the universe hates him. There's a long few minutes of quiet, where only the radio plays. He's almost starting to relax again, grip lessening, when she opens her mouth.

Of course.

"I'm glad you're not nervous," she says, looking out the window. "It's a good thing because there's literally no reason to be." Inuyasha sighs and stops at the next red light. At least they're almost at the restaurant and it's a lively enough place that things should be easy. He researched it and everything, back when dating seemed like something that would be simple. "I've kind of wanted to go on a date with you since the beginning of this year."

"Since January?" he asks. That can't be right. Kagome only shrugs. He wants to look at her face more, try and get a better read on how she's feeling. The light turns green however and he has to drive. It just makes absolutely zero sense. His head tries to wrap around it but no matter what, all he goes back to is that archery competition that Miroku stealth-dragged him to. It had been the first time in a long time that he'd been so confused about something. Because there was no way that she had wanted him there and if she hadn't wanted him there then she couldn't have liked him.

But whatever. If she wants to think since January, then that's fine. It is.

"Can't be," he argues, mouth moving against his own will. Well then, apparently it's not fine. "You made that face in January." He's a monster with literally no self-control.

"I made what face in January?"

" _The_ face. You were doing that archery show at the gym where you won? And me, Sango and Miroku were all there. You were perfectly happy and then you saw me. I'm not exactly a popular guy but I've never made someone so unhappy that fast." Eh, that's a lie. But whatever. He doesn't need to go into detail about what he's done to Naraku during his time at Corner House.

"What?" Kagome exclaims. She whacks him on the shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"You made a face," he says decisively. "I know you did."

"I did _not_."

He's not budging on this. Inuyasha pulls into the parking lot and finds a spot, turning the car off. "Did so," he replies, moments later, just to be sure that she knows _he_ knows. "You did."

Kagome is staring at him the second he's brave enough to look at her directly. Now that he's not driving, there's nothing to distract him, nothing to hide behind. "Fine," she says slowly, as if the word is being dragged out of her. "There was a face but it's not what you think."

A part of him is really fucking happy. He knew it.

The other part of him realizes that this could mean Only Bad Things. Shit.

"Actually, it proves my point," Kagome says, shrugging again. "It was literally that morning that Sango not-so-nicely pointed out that I, uh, was interested in you for more than just fun."

Inuyasha blinks. "Fun?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome huffs. There's the tiniest of smiles playing on her lips and Inuyasha wants to lean over the console and kiss her, just because he can. "I told you already. Initially I was interested in keeping it casual. You have seen you in a mirror, right? But we had been out with our friends and I don't know. Sango basically spelled out the fact that I was interested in you for more than a hook up and considering you didn't date, that wasn't exactly a good realization to have."

"I didn't–" Inuyasha waves at her, trying to explain things that he's never had to before. "I didn't date because there was no one I particularly got along with. You know." He waves at himself. It should be self-explanatory.

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Kagome says, not unkindly.

That's such a– Inuyasha doesn't stop himself this time. He unbuckles his seat belt and leans over the console. She's meeting him halfway, her hands in his hair and then finally – _finally_ – he's kissing her. Just like every time, this wave of warmth fills him, arousal and want making him debate the size of the backseat. She's leaning upwards, pressing into him as much as possible, like all she wants to do is get closer. It drives him _crazy_.

The sound of laughter from outside of the car jerks him back to reality. He looks out the window to see some other couple laughing around their car, not paying any attention to anything but themselves. He looks at Kagome, at the way her lips are red and a bit swollen and thinks that he _did_ that. "We should probably get dinner."

"We should definitely get dinner," Kagome replies, smile spreading on her face. It only gets bigger, her eyes crinkling like she's just so fucking happy. Like he makes her this unbelievably happy.

The feeling stays with him as they get into the restaurant and are seated. Their server is a middle-aged woman who looks at them knowingly and calls Kagome 'dear.' Inuyasha isn't embarrassed to admit that the thought of doing this was a little terrifying. He's not exactly a massive talker. In his group of friends, it's Miroku who talks for them. He has to remind himself that this isn't any different than the times he and Kagome were walking back from her practice. She keeps talking about random things that have happened to her, like how the male archers on her team are all awkward and afraid to talk to her about different shots.

He's just interested in her and watching the way she talks and flails almost makes him smile. He thinks that she and Rin would get along like a house on fire and that Sesshomaru would reach for the scotch within five minutes of their talking. Myoga would bake her cookies.

His dad would have liked her, he's pretty sure.

"Hey," Kagome says softly, reaching across the table to flick him in the arm. "Are you still with me?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just trying to imagine how anyone could find _you_ scary. A kitten is more terrifying."

And there's that smile again, the one that beams. "Did you want to get dessert?"

Inuyasha nods but purposely keeps the menu closed. "Yeah, but not here. The desserts here at tiny. We're going somewhere else." He gets the bill, argues with her that he's paying, argues with her some more about the fact that no, he doesn't want to split it. _Fine_ , maybe they'll split it next time.

They go to a dessert bar that he also looked up prior to the date, and he gets a dipped cone while she eats a ridiculous marshmallow and chocolate sundae. It's too cold to eat outside but people aren't exactly lining up to get a frozen dessert in the winter, so the place is a bit too quiet. He grabs her hand and drags her back to the car, the warmth from earlier still lingering.

Kagome's grinning at him around her spoonful of ice cream. "So what are you doing during the summer?"

"Probably not much different than last year," he answers honestly, shrugging. "I stay in Corner House, work a couple of part-time jobs, the usual. Miroku doesn't live too far away so we hang out a bunch. Although, with Sango and him so close I don't know how different it'll be."

"They're getting better," Kagome responds, nodding. "I think when most couples start dating they're all over each other and with each other constantly."

"Are you just trying to make excuses to be with me constantly?" he asks, unable to help himself. He smirks at her surprised expression, trying to keep from grinning full-on when she hits him. "Okay, okay!"

Kagome shakes her head. He knows already it's fond. "You're not supposed to out my secrets like that," she murmurs. "Be cool, come on."

Right. Him and cool. _Sure_. "What about your summer plans?"

"I go home over the summer and help out at the house. I teach archery at a club close to home, do some babysitting. There's another competition in August that I may participate in, but it depends on how things go."

"Well you've got to be careful. Can't have too many gold medals around your neck," Inuyasha says, pointing at her with his free hand. "Is your brother going to university soon?"

"Two more years," she replies. "I'm pretty sure he has no idea what he wants to do yet. Mom is freaking out about it in a really silent, kind of twitchy way." She scoops up some marshmallows and ice cream and holds it out to him. "Want some?"

He doesn't, not really. He's always had a really weird thing about marshmallows not burnt to a crisp by fire. Inuyasha can't say no though, not with the look on her face. He's so fucked, so early in the game. Inuyasha's going to have to apologize to Miroku for every mean thing he's ever said to him about his relationship with Sango.

Leaning over, he has some of hers. It's only fair to offer some of his cone; at first, he thinks everything is fine.

And then Kagome takes the cone and licks it and Inuyasha has _so many regrets_.

Honest to god, she's just licking the cone. It's not sexual or weird or anything. She's not even looking at him while she does it.

But Inuyasha's mind has been pretty vanilla up until this point and it's like a switch has been flipped and now his dick really wants in on the party. He takes the cone back. Jesus Christ, this woman is going to be the death of him. She doesn't even know.

That's the worst part.

When they finish their desserts and the car starts to get too cold, Inuyasha knows it's time to get back. They went for a late dinner to begin with, and their talking in the car beforehand pushed everything back. Kagome's shared apartment is only a twenty minute drive away and Kagome spends every minute of it singing every single word to every Top 40s song on the radio.

He should have known this about her. Really.

What he also should have known is that literally anything Kagome does turns him on, and so the way she terribly raps actually makes him squirm. Kagome keeps looking over at him, occasionally getting really into it and being all dramatic. She does little dances in her seat and swivels her hips and Inuyasha _knows_ those hips because he's danced with her before.

Inuyasha turns down the heat in his car and briefly considers rolling down a window.

"Sango's in the apartment unfortunately but you can still come up," Kagome says as they approach her building. "You can park in the underground lot around back."

Inuyasha doesn't want the night to end, not yet, so he goes down to park. He'll take whatever sly looks Sango throws at him, if it means they can hang out on the couch or make out in her room. Ideally, the last one. Who cares if there are only curtains for walls?

Looking down at himself, Inuyasha winces a bit. Well, maybe he needs to calm down first.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," Kagome says suddenly, turning down the music. She leans over the console and kisses him, and Inuyasha hastily puts the car in park. They were stopped but he had been distracted, okay? Shit happens.

Besides, all he has to do is press the button and his car turns off, the rumbling of the engine echoing until it fades completely in the parking lot. There's literally no one down there and the visitor parking area is completely abandoned so he doesn't feel remotely bad pulling her closer, deepening the kiss just to hear her gasp. Her open mouth is fair game to explore and holy shit, they need to go to her room right away–

"You don't want to stop, right?" Kagome asks, completely breathless. Her dark eyes are completely focused on him and it makes him even harder, unbearably so. He doesn't trust his voice so he shakes his head instead. This woman is doing crazy things to him. "Well, if we go to the apartment I can guarantee you that Sango is going to sit us both down and make us talk about the date."

"Why would she do that?"

Kagome grimaces. "Payback. It's a long story. Shall we get in the back?"

Fuck-fucking-yes. _Hell yes_.

He doesn't _scramble_ out the door and into his back seat, because that would be desperate-looking. He moves quickly, is all, and before he knows it Kagome's straddling his lap and kissing him and he is going to _die from this, oh god_.

"Shit," he whispers, his hand clutching at her hair, lips opening up hers so that he can explore her mouth. The way she moves against him should be illegal, hands dancing at the bottom of his stomach, bare skin overheated. He prays there are no parking lot cameras, fuck.

The first time she grinds against him is practically a religious experience. Inuyasha unwillingly breaks the kiss to breathe in, far too turned on to do anything but hold her closer. Kagome's not smiling anymore but there's a look in her eyes that Inuyasha will think about for _months_. She kisses him simply, breathes against his lips as she continues her sinful drag against his body.

He tries – Jesus fuck he tries – but he's so close to coming that he actually has to hold her away slightly, chest heaving as he gets his bearings, the fog of arousal starting to clear. "I can't–" He can't come in his pants like a teenager and still hang out with her after. One, Sango will absolutely notice and two, it will be gross.

"Okay," Kagome murmurs, nodding frantically like she gets it. She tilts her head down and kisses him again, slower, body unmoving on top of his. He misses the heat and the grind and he wants her, dear god, does he want her. "After the interrogation, did you want to watch TV in bed? I've got Netflix and we can do some legitimate chilling."

Her smile at that is just as happy as back at the restaurant.

Inuyasha wants her even more but for a completely different reason than five seconds ago. How is it this easy?

Stopping that train of thought, he takes a deep breath in and nods. He doesn't fight the feeling of his lips tugging upwards. He doesn't want to. "Sounds good to me."

* * *

Sesshomaru calls on a Monday. Mondays are bad enough.

"I am getting buried in group projects and terrible essays so please, for the love of god, don't be a dick," Inuyasha opens the call with.

"If you were timelier with your studies and not constantly playing video games with your roommates you wouldn't be in this predicament."

"Oh good, it lasted all of two seconds." Inuyasha pulls the phone away from his ear and smirks at it. "Bye."

He hangs up. That'll teach him.

 _Fuck Face_ calls him once more, the phone vibrating on his desk. It's a little annoying but nothing he can't push past as he tries to gather a logical conclusion to some really boring, only half-read journal. When the phone stops, it gets less than three seconds of a break before it goes off again. _Fuck Face_ , unsurprisingly, flashes back on the screen.

Inuyasha hates the essay he's doing enough to answer it, smug as hell. "Hello? Is that you, brother?"

If Sesshomaru is angry at him, it would be really hard to tell over the phone. The guy is practically a robot, voice as dry as ever as he asks, "What are you plans this summer?"

Random. Inuyasha frowns at his computer. "Probably staying here?" Things are obviously better between them but he's not going to take the chance. "I may come back for like a week or two."

"Don't," Sesshomaru replies. "You applied for an internship at Purified and congratulations, you got it."

Inuyasha's frown actually _hurts_ , he's frowning so hard. He sure as fuck never applied for an internship _anywhere_ , especially some weird-ass place called Purified. The name, however, is familiar. There's silence over the line so Inuyasha has a couple moments to gather exactly what's going on.

"Purified is one of your suppliers." One of Dad's best suppliers, before. He narrows his eyes. "Who am I working for?"

"At least you're not completely useless." Sesshomaru makes a noise that some would consider a noisy breath. In reality, it's his version of a scoff. "You will be interning and learning directly under the CEO, Totosai Yanami."

" _What_?" Inuyasha asks. "Man, the guy's like eighty years-old! I don't even want to do an internship and now you've forced me to do this with some old guy that's going to drone on and on? Who may possibly die at his desk one morning?"

"Don't be a fool, he's in his mid-fifties. He suffers from bad genetics, nothing more," Sesshomaru replies. "You will learn a lot from him and I trust he is excited to share his knowledge before he retires."

Retires? "He's retiring? Why aren't you setting me up with his next-in-line so I can, you know, smooth the way or whatever for the future of our businesses?"

Inuyasha knows you can't hear someone roll their eyes, but he's pretty fucking sure that's what his half-brother is doing right now. "Totosai has said nothing about his retirement but the time is near."

Meaning it would be at least another five or six years. Surely the company has a succession plan but if it's still flexible… Inuyasha swears. "You put me in for this stupid internship because you want me to work there full-time after I graduate next year. You want me to work directly with him so I learn all of the business plans." It hits him then exactly what's happening, the dots connecting with every sentence. "Did you really fucking do this so that in five or six years I'll be the next CEO of Purified? And then – _wow_ – and then it would only make sense to buy the company because if you own your greatest supplier, you can get everything at cost and increase your margins by a fuck-ton."

"Don't be a fool," Sesshomaru states, not in the least bit ruffled by Inuyasha's explanation.

"Uh huh." Inuyasha is not impressed at all. He can get a job for himself. The last thing he wants is to do this because of some twisted reason of Sesshomaru's–

"And Inuyasha?"

"What?"

Sesshomaru makes a sort of tsk sound. "Ruining this internship and destroying your chances of becoming CEO would be a very bad decision for you to make."

"So I'm ri–" The dial tone is louder than usual, or maybe that's just Inuyasha's rage.

His half-brother is a fucking evil genius. This should surprise no one. Inuyasha is irritated all the same.

* * *

Miroku looks down at his fries and sighs dramatically for the hundredth time.

"Wow, you're annoying," Inuyasha mumbles, glaring at his best friend. "Why even bother coming here if you're this miserable?"

"Because I really shouldn't miss class," Miroku whines – actual, pathetic whining that grates on his nerves – before slouching even further into his seat. "It's a cold, not the plague."

Inuyasha doesn't need to say that that is not how Miroku's acting because surely the guy knows. He's been dramatically flopping all over Corner House for the past two days, alternating between praying for death and begging someone to pet his hair. "It's not like your class takes attendance."

Sighing deeply once more, Miroku half-heartedly picks up a fry. "Yeah but the only person I know in the class takes shit notes."

"Isn't there a textbook? Just look whatever shit you don't understand up on Google. It's _Google_." Inuyasha rolls his eyes and takes a bite out of his delicious Commons burger. Oh how he's missed it.

Miroku whimpers. Inuyasha debates leaving the table to sit somewhere else.

"Hey!" Kagome's voice brings at least the tiniest light to the raincloud over their table. Stupid Miroku. She throws her bag down on the chair beside him and runs her hand briefly through his hair, ruffling it. "Grabbing food. Sango, want me to grab yours?"

Sango, who is currently staring at her boyfriend with a judgemental raised eyebrow, shakes her head. "No, I'll stick with you. This," she says, waving in Miroku's general direction, "doesn't look good."

"Why does no one love me?" Miroku asks, batting his big blue eyes at him.

It sucks because it works every fucking time. Inuyasha can actually feel his body sag, hard mask turning into something nicer because his best friend is clearly upset. It's all lies but his brain doesn't want to believe it. "I'm sure Sango is just preparing herself for the fun festival that is taking care of you. She loves you. It's fine."

"It's not fine," Miroku whines. He bends down so that his head is resting against the table, fries forgotten. "I have the plague. I'm going to die."

Well. That took a quick turn.

Inuyasha stays quiet in hopes that his best friend may fall asleep. The less he says, the more likely Miroku is to ignore him and wallow in his own self-pity. It lasts only as long as the girls take to get their food, their conversation stirring him into action.

"How can you be happy at a time like this?" his best friend croaks.

Kagome looks at him like he's a sad puppy who needs to be petted. It's exactly what Miroku wants. She's incredibly endearing anyways. "Aw, I heard you're sick. That sucks. Why aren't you in bed?"

"Class." Miroku woefully looks down at his barely-eaten plate of fries.

Sango, being the incredible woman that she is, eats her pizza slice in one hand and starts to rub Miroku's neck with the other. "You'll be okay," she says soothingly, even with food in her mouth. "It's okay to miss a class."

Miroku sighs and leans against her shoulder. What a sad fucking sap. Sango rolls her eyes at them but she looks down at her boyfriend fondly anyways. It's weird, sometimes, how the two of them work. Inuyasha sees them as having such different personalities but they mesh well. Balance, or whatever.

"Hopefully you feel better by the weekend," Kagome says between bites of her own pizza. She turns to him then, smiling hopefully. "You're free, right?"

He's literally not ever _not_ free. It's kind of a problem. "Yeah."

"Awesome. It's up to you but I was talking to Ayame and she's dragging Kouga to this light festival this weekend. It's supposed to be really cool." Kagome grabs her phone and checks Instagram, showing off some photos of really colourful lights in tunnels and on statues and stuff. She's shrugging, even as she takes the phone back. "If you want, we could go?"

Inuyasha is many things, but an idiot isn't one of them. Well, that's completely arguable, fuck you very much Miroku. He can tell without turning his head that Sango is giving him a look, that stupid eyebrow raised like his answer will make or break their friendship. To be honest, it's not a hard decision. The expression on Kagome's face – the way she seems almost hesitant when she is never hesitant, not ever – makes him feel bad for even making her wait this long for an answer. "Sounds good," he replies, nudging into her side as he says so. It's their thing. He likes their thing.

Kagome's answering smile is directed towards her phone as she puts it away but he's trying his best not to grin in response. It's so easy, sometimes, with her.

"It'll be a fun triple date," Sango says, smug. "And there are a ton of places to take pictures."

He makes at face at her because he fucking hates photos and Sango knows it.

Kagome keeps smiling down at the table, unhelpful.

A tiny snore escapes Miroku's mouth and Sango bursts out into laughter, making her boyfriend startle awake and fall off the chair.

* * *

It surprises him that after a solid couple of weeks of dating, nothing has really changed.

Inuyasha is honest with himself – actually, fuck that, he's rarely honest with himself – but he was pretty sure that dating Kagome would mean a big, massive, life-altering change. Specifics don't really matter and he can't think of them. But a change. Or like, five changes. They should have happened.

But having Kagome as a girlfriend isn't really much different than how they were before, minus the making out and seeing each other more often, with or without friends.

Inuyasha doesn't know whether to be worried about that or not. It's not like he has _experience_ backing up any sort of claim. Miroku might know but again, being as smitten with Sango as his best friend is, he doubts he'll get a reliable picture.

Kagome's already seated in the lecture hall for their mythology class when he gets there, delayed from his previous lecture. Bankotsu and Jakotsu are there as well, talking about something that's making them both look pretty uncomfortable. Kagome waves at him shortly when he enters their row and grins at him while he sits down and gets his laptop out.

"Hey," she says. "Did Sango text you yet?"

About that stupid light festival, or whatever. He and Kagome had been texting earlier and apparently Sango was supposed to secure details at some point today. "No." It comes out a little gruff. It's not his fault that going to the light festival isn't exactly his idea of a great time. Playing video games? Definitely. Getting drunk and parading around town? Why not. Attending a light festival and being cold without alcohol to keep him warm? Not ideal.

Kagome must realize this because she laughs and nudges him. That's another thing, too. Inuyasha expected that at some point things between them would turn. She would get sick of his tendencies that were more towards _asshole_ -ish than _boyfriend-material_ -ish. So far it's not happened.

He's kind of waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"It's going to be fun," she reassures him, leaning over and kissing him soundly on the lips. He does not chase after the feeling once she pulls away. He does _not_.

There's a bit of a scream – like a half-cheer, half-strangled-cry – and then Jakotsu is pointing at them like Christmas has come early. "No!" he exclaims.

"What?" Bankotsu asks, face scrunched up in confusion.

"They kissed! _Casually_." Jakotsu makes it sound like the most scandalous thing, like he and Kagome were seconds away from having sex in the lecture hall rather than a quick press of lips.

This is going to get out of hand quickly. Inuyasha grimaces as Bankotsu seems to finally get it.

"But you told me you weren't dating!" he accuses, pointing at Inuyasha. "I felt like shit and everything!"

"To be fair," Inuyasha says, holding back his sigh, "we weren't at the time."

"When was this?" Kagome asks.

Where the fuck is the professor? Why is he _never on time_ , goddamn it. "You were at the tournament for the boys."

"Oh." Kagome nods and turns to the other two. "Yeah, we weren't."

"Basically, she's saying that you were right to feel like shit," Jakotsu laughs out, hitting his friend repeatedly.

Bankotsu glares at Inuyasha. He doesn't stop until the professor finally – _finally_ – starts the lecture.

He doesn't feel bad. Well, maybe he kind of does. Getting a conscious about shit like this is really annoying.

* * *

But back to the shoe dropping thing, where Inuyasha is almost positive that sooner rather than later, his heart is going to get broken. It's a weird thing to think, especially when seeing Kagome makes him so happy the feeling actually startles him sometimes. But it's not hard to imagine that feeling coming back to bite him in the ass.

Inuyasha isn't damaged goods, or whatever the Harlequin books like to say. He's a typical guy who drinks a ton with his friends and hangs out and does alright at school. His family life growing up may not have been ideal but a lot of kids grew up in similar situations. He's not special.

And that's the troubling part, isn't it?

Kagome bursts into his bedroom and throws her bag of books to the ground. She shuts the door, grins at him and then leaps onto the bed. Inuyasha doesn't even have a second to react before Kagome is snuggling up on his chest, turning into a boneless heap.

His Bed of Wallowing and Irritating Thoughts has now turned into Awkward Hormones and What To Do with Them.

"Ugh, I don't want to go to class next hour," Kagome grumbles. Her hand curves around his side, holding him closer. "Distract me please."

Inuyasha stares at the ceiling, sees no answers, and then rolls them both over so that he doesn't have to think about anything else but her, her, _her_.

* * *

 **Next Time on _Tell Me I'm Crazy:_** He spots her among the crowd and like she's just as drawn to him as he is to her, she turns to face him. There's a smile on her face that happy and devious, rolled into one. He can't look away, even as he takes another sip of his beer.

"Inuyasha? Are you even listening?" Hachi asks, sounding outraged.

"Not even a little."

And then Kagome runs.

* * *

 **Reponses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _Guest:_ Well I am super, duper excited that you LOVE IT SO MUCH. Thank you dear!

 _Guest:_ YAY is a perfectly fine response to that last chapter, I assure you. I'm positive I've been there, done that on some stories. I'm just happy you enjoyed that rom-com cliché that I adore so much!

 _Guest_ : -choo? ;)

 _ThatGirl:_ You know, I don't think I've ever really been proud of a character I've written before until this story came along. I am proud of him *wipes away a solitary tear* Thanks so much love!

 _Mal:_ This is the ridiculousness that happens to me. I'll have like one single thought and then I have to figure out the rest of the story. Sometimes it's really hard and other times it's super, super easy. Even this story took me about three tries until it finally settled in. There's a story I want to write that's basically a combination of Inuyasha and Teen Wolf (omg, don't judge me, but there is a way that this works and I need to get it out). But I've maybe written about five different starts to it. Oh well. Thanks love!

 _Poopsiea:_ Yes. Next chapter will be the last :( There's a good chance that I'll write some timestamps from Kagome's POV but I've got a billion stories I want to get out so that will be my new focus!

 _Fuzzywazam:_ Honestly? Me too. You have no idea haha. And to be very honest, the end of this story couldn't come fast enough either. Not because I don't enjoy it but because it literally feels like it can't end sometimes. Thank you so much hun!

* * *

 **Fun Fact:** This was supposed to be the last part I posted. But since the ending would have been near triple the length of this chapter had I kept it all together, the next chapter will be the end. I really didn't want to end it here at _all_ but there's no better place with how everything breaks down so. You know *waves awkwardly*

 **Feedback, as always, is much appreciated and loved.**


	14. Part XIV

**WARNING:** This chapter includes an M+ scene for sexual content. If you wish to skip it, just message me and I'll happy tell you how to avoid it.

* * *

 **Tell Me I'm Crazy**

 **(I Can't Stop the Feeling)**

 **Part XIV**

* * *

Mid-March means March Break. Which means tons of families and children.

Which means he, Kagome, Sango, Miroku, Ayame and Kouga are having a triple date surrounded by eight year-olds. It's as romantic as one would think it is. And by that, Inuyasha means not at fucking all. Unsurprisingly, he seems to be the only person that minds. Children whining endlessly about how cold it is makes him want to tell them that no, this isn't cold. Rolling the windows of your car down just to seem cool in February… Now that's fucking cold. This evening, right now? It's practically beach weather in comparison. He's only wearing a sweater, for fuck's sake.

Inuyasha stares really hard at the statue of light. Like, really hard. If he had laser vision, that shit would have exploded by now. Apparently, this weekend was the start of March Break. It didn't affect them in university but it certainly meant everyone was out to enjoy the light festival in full force.

"I wish my phone's camera wasn't so shitty," Ayame complains, still trying to take a picture of the thing. It's actually pretty cool, even though it's really weird. It's a mess of spirals and orbs, all surrounded by fairy lights that twinkle pale colours. There are girls everywhere trying to take pictures of it with their boyfriends standing behind them, looking about as enthused as the eight year-old whining children.

"How about," Kouga says, wrapping his arm around her waist and burying his face into her red hair, "you focus more on looking at it in person."

"Yeah, yeah." Ayame takes one more photo, makes a face and then puts her phone away. "Did you guys want to go to the trail over there?"

The six of them head towards one of the many light trails set up in the area, its path filled with swirling lights. Inuyasha doesn't know a lot about the festival but he guesses it's pretty cool overall. It's dark and only getting darker, some of the families starting to turn away to head home. Ayame leads the way, holding hands with Kouga. Sango has both her arms wrapped around a still kind-of sick Miroku, somehow managing to walk without issue. How she does it, Inuyasha doesn't even want to know.

"How many times do you think Miroku's asked to go to bed?" he asks Kagome, looking down at her. She's walking by his side, turning every so often to take in a swirl of dancing lights over the pathway. There are little stars in her dark eyes and Inuyasha needs to not think like a Hallmark card, holy crap.

"Oh, by now?" Kagome asks, tapping her fingers on her chin. "Like, at least nine times? He's a trooper though. Sango offered to stay home with him but he wanted to come anyways."

"I think he's trying to get brownie points." It's the obvious answer and so very like Miroku. "Once he's healthy, he's going to milk that for as much sex as possible."

Kagome snorts. "Please. Like it's not already bad enough. Sango's barely been at the apartment lately."

"I'm well aware," Inuyasha replies. "Considering I can _hear it_."

Laughing, Kagome wraps an arm around his and bumps into him, stepping right into his space. "Corner House walls are thin, huh?"

"I got noise cancelling headphones for Christmas for a _reason_ ," Inuyasha points out.

"Doesn't mean you don't hear the start of it." Kagome's hand slides down his arm, her fingers tangling with his. Her being so close means that he's so much warmer than before, body heat combining with the general feeling he always gets around her. "I'm pretty sure Sango mentioned she's staying at your place tonight."

"Ugh." Inuyasha glares at his two best friends ahead of them. "Well, at least the noises are going to be more placating than sexual. Unless they have sex when they're sick?" He grimaces, trying desperately to get the image that burst into his head out. As far out as possible. Oh god. "No, that can't be."

"Highly doubt it. I feel nothing but gross when I'm sick," Kagome agrees. "But, you know, just to be safe…"

Inuyasha smirks, looking down at Kagome looking up at him. She's trying her best not to smile hugely, practically the only way she knows how. It hits him again that this can't be as easy as it is. She won't always be this happy. He squeezes her hand tighter for a moment, enjoys her closeness. What was that stupid saying that rapper said about only living once? All the really fucking annoying kids these days were saying it, like the assholes they were. "Yeah?"

Shrugging, Kagome focuses her attention back onto the lights. "You may as well stay at my place. Again, safety reasons."

"Well, obviously." Inuyasha nods. "And we could have fun. The two of us… We have fun." Kagome raises a brow at him, like she can't quite believe where he's going with this. He doesn't either but it doesn't stop him from talking, digging the hole a little deeper. "I mean, we could go back and watch TV. Or play cards. Or… Do you guys have an Xbox there?"

"Oh my god," she groans, leaning into him so that her head is resting on his shoulder. "You're killing me."

"What?" he asks, as innocently as he can manage. "Did you not want to play cards?"

"Depends on the game," Kagome mumbles.

He smirks. Jesus, she's so easy. "Go Fish is always fun."

"You're terrible," Kagome complains, shaking her head and pushing away from him. And that's not acceptable. Not tonight, when they're surrounded by couples and families and stupid, pretty, fairy lights. "Why be such a tease?"

"Come back here," he says, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and dragging her in against him, even closer than before. Kagome snuggles in and sighs happily.

In that moment, Inuyasha realizes like the shmuck he is that she totally played him. He was damned if she continued to play along and damned if he didn't. No matter what, she would get her way.

He's smirking so hard it's almost a grin, so Inuyasha kisses the top of her hair. It's so easy, this thing between them. He knows damn well it's not the first time he's thought that but it just doesn't stop popping into his head.

"Jeez, stop looking at each other like that," Kouga says, rolling his eyes. "And I thought Sango and Miroku were bad."

"You guys weren't much better," Kagome retorts. "You're both literally on top of each other _all the time_."

"Not all the time," Ayame replies, though it's insanely weak and she knows it.

"Good try, Ayame," Sango says, shaking her head with a smile. "Did you guys want to check out one of the bars along here?"

Miroku nods and gives them all a sad face. "I could really use a drink."

"You're an alcoholic," Inuyasha states, slapping his best friend on the back. "But I'll buy your first round anyways."

"That's the spirit," Miroku cheers, grinning.

The bar they go to is also covered in multi-colour lights, the wooden look and antique feel made brighter. The girls all comment on how cute it is but Inuyasha can see a lot more dust than he thinks is healthy along the walls. Some things are better left in the dark.

"So I heard they extended your contract," Sango says to the redhead sometime later, drinks in everyone's hands. Kouga and Sango are actually on their second round, but Inuyasha's the designated driver and despite Miroku's act, he's still feeling like shit.

"Yeah, I'll be working with the athletic department over the summer." Ayame shrugs. "It's a pretty good gig. It'll be so much better than waiting tables."

"And you'll get to stay here," Kouga says, wrapping an arm around her.

"Aren't you going home?" Inuyasha asks, frowning.

The athlete takes a sip of his beer, nodding while he swallows. "Yeah but I don't live far. It's the other two idiots that do," he says, referring to Hakkaku and Ginta. "Plus, I'll still be here for practice over the summer."

"And we're going to be nearby," Miroku says. "Inuyasha's staying at Corner House. So really, Kagome's the only one that's abandoning us."

Scoffing, Kagome hits him. "As if. I'll still come and visit. It's not that far."

"It's over an hour away."

Inuyasha drinks more of his beer, letting the rest of them argue about the timeliness of the nearby major highway versus rush hour traffic, and jobs, and whatever else they're bitching about. He, personally, is still thinking about the fact that Kagome's moving back home. She has a job back there and family. So of course she's going back. There's a whooshing sound in the back of his mind, and it's not the sound of a shoe dropped, but it's definitely the sound of something being let go.

It's fine.

Kagome smiles up at him and lets her hand rest on his leg while she talks animatedly with Sango.

When he finishes his drink, he doesn't have another. He watches as Miroku gets more and more tired, the animation he normally brings dying out as the hours tick by. It's midnight when all of them leave, Kouga and Ayame waving their goodbyes as they head into a cab. As promised, he's driving the rest of them home.

"You know," Miroku says, bursting out into a yawn. It's not the most attractive look. "Kouga's been staying at Ayame's a lot recently."

"So?"

Miroku shrugs. "I don't know. Just something I noticed."

Sango laughs and pushes gently at his cheek. "You are losing it, love. Come on, let's get you home."

"Inuyasha," his best friend whines. He makes grabby hands and he knows – _he knows_ – exactly what's going on.

"No."

"Come on," he wheedles, still reaching out. "Carry me. We're bros. BBLs. Best Bros for Life."

Snorting, he rolls his eyes. "You made that up."

"Nope. You're just that stupid."

"Because that's going to make me carry you." Inuyasha shoves at him a little and feels only a tiny bit bad when it knocks Sango over too. "Get it together. You're sick, not dying."

"And you're _mean_."

"Yet still you're my friend." Miroku narrows his eyes at him but Inuyasha goes on, smirking as he unlocks his car. "I know you, man. You like them mean." He points at Sango.

"Hey!" she cries out, indignant. "Fuck you." It's not heated, and Sango looks more annoyed by the fact he called it out than anything.

Kagome sighs. "This took a turn."

And yeah, it did. He lets his lips curl up because he's not dead inside and starts the car, avoiding groups of teens walking aimlessly in the dark of the parking lot before heading back home. The backseat is quiet, too quiet. The rear view mirror shows nothing more than Miroku's eyes closed with his head on Sango's shoulder, her staring out the car window.

"I take it back, Miroku," Inuyasha says. "You must be dying."

He waits, knowing his best friend. Miroku would never leave a comment like that hanging. "Why?"

"You've literally begged me to allow you to make out with Sango in the back seat since I brought the car to Corner House." Inuyasha pointedly doesn't look at the mirror again because he _does not need to know_. "And we both know me driving would not stop you."

There's a beat of silence and then Miroku is groaning, sad and whiny at all of them. He hits the back of his seat lightly. "How dare you remind me about it! That's _cruel_. And this is such a nice back seat too. Like, there's more room than you think."

Kagome smiles over at him and there's a wicked gleam in her dark eyes. Damn, but this woman is going to kill him. "Yeah," she says, loud enough to be heard over Miroku's complaints. "We're well aware."

"What?" Miroku asks at the very same time Sango bursts out into hysterical laughter. "Wait, _no_. Come on, don't tell me that these seats are tainted. Oh god, were you _naked_ on these leather seats?"

Sango laughs so hard that she starts coughing, choking on air or saliva or just the general horror that Miroku is her choice in men.

Corner House is still lit up inside when they get back and he parks the car, getting out but leaving it running. Miroku and Sango don't even comment. All he needs are a few things to stay overnight and it's not hard to pack them. What does he need: a toothbrush and toothpaste? Definitely. Clothes for tomorrow? Inuyasha shrugs, grabs a t-shirt and a new sweater but no jeans. He can wear those again. Boxers. Yeah, those. He zips up his bag and then swears, runs back into the bathroom to get deodorant.

When he gets back to his room he stares at his bag, remembering something pretty fucking important.

Well, also kind of awkward. He's fucking not a child but there's something about buying condoms and having to purchase them through old ladies working at pharmacies that really throw him off. So yeah. Condoms. _Fuck_ , where did he put those?

When he makes it back to his car, Kagome's got that eyebrow raised, amusement radiating off of her like always when he does something she doesn't quite get. He tries to not feel weird because yeah, he had fucking lost the box of condoms that took him forever to buy. He had some from before but they were expired. He hasn't exactly hooked up in a while.

And thank any and all gods – thank the universe, whatever – that he _found_ said box of condoms.

"You good?" Kagome asks, putting her hand high up on his thigh like that's a casual thing to do.

Maybe for most people it is, but Inuyasha is acutely aware of how long it's been now. The hunt for the condom box made him remember more than just the judgemental look the old pharmacy lady gave him. Oh god, if they have sex tonight he's going to have to pray that he doesn't lose it instantly.

Shit.

Inuyasha looks over at Kagome and she's full-on smiling now. She probably can read his mind.

"Nope," he says, pulling back out of the driveway and heading to Kagome's. "You don't get to say anything."

"I'm not." Kagome's looking out the window now and damn it, it's clearly because she's trying to hide her face from him. The car ride becomes companionably silent, his girlfriend remaining true to her word. Does that make the situation worse? Inuyasha's not panicking in his own head, he's _not_.

Eh, maybe he is.

Jesus, it's not even like he's a virgin or anything.

"So, what card game do you want to play?"

He glares at the road because this cannot be happening.

"You mentioned Go Fish earlier but I've personally always enjoyed Crazy Eights."

She's doing this on purpose. He pulls into the underground parking, the same spot as the last time when they were in his back seat. _Damn._

"Or we could always watch _The Office_." Kagome taps at his thigh, as if she just remembered something. "I've always had a crush on Jim."

No. No, no, no, no, no.

They get out of the car and Inuyasha tries to shoot her a look, because this is almost cruel. He knows exactly what she's doing though. He fucking fell in love with a mad genius, and it's infuriating. She's doing the same damn thing he did to her earlier and it's driving him _crazy_. But she knows this so Kagome's pointedly not looking in his direction, leading them to the elevator and getting on without a single glance his way.

"Kagome–"

"Actually, I haven't watched _Friends_ in forever," she says, all excited. Her dark eyes land on him briefly before skittering away. Her smile is so big. He hates how much he likes it.

"You've made your point."

"What point?" Kagome asks as they get out of the elevator and head to her door. "I have no idea what point you think I'm making." She unlocks it, steps inside and he follows her because he's an idiot who clearly has no self-preservation. "I have _no point_." Kagome turns to him then, facing him dead on just as he kicks off his shoes. Her eyes are so intently focused on him that his brain short-circuits – mayday, mayday – and all he can do is stand there and watch as she takes a step closer, and another, and now she's pressed up against him with her head tilted back, _watching him_.

"You're crazy," he says, breathes. He remembers back to when he kissed her right here, the first press of his lips against hers after the tournament.

"You keep saying that," Kagome comments lightly, not bothered at all. "But you _drive_ me crazy because I have wanted you for so long."

It's a fucking miracle he doesn't literally have an orgasm right there. He's so hard already, it's _depressing_. But it's not. It's really, really not. It's the opposite of depressing. Wonderful, even.

"Can we–?" she starts to ask but Inuyasha nods frantically and then Kagome's pushing him against her door, hands already under his shirt and touching his skin like it's necessary to live. Her lips are eager against his, warm and dry as the first few kisses are far too chaste for his liking. His hands wrap tightly around her and he pulls her as close as possible. It's just not close enough.

He's not sure it ever will be.

"Shit," he says, pulling back to breathe. Kagome takes the opportunity to tug at his sweater until it's off, his t-shirt following closely behind. Her hands are all over him and it's driving him insane.

"You have _no_ idea," Kagome murmurs, kissing at his chest. Her hands are at his jeans, the button being undone and oh dear god. This is not even close to his first time but it _feels_ like it. Inuyasha tries to take off her shirt but she's not paying attention, far too focused on sliding his jeans down.

When she slides down to the floor along with them, Inuyasha has to look up at the ceiling and try to get under control. Because holy fucking crap.

"You okay?"

The question makes him look down, shocked. How could he _not_ be okay? He's wearing nothing but boxers and her lips are so, so close to where he wants them to be. Nodding almost frantically, he runs his hand through her hair. "You should be more undressed."

"Should've tried harder then." Kagome grabs at the elastic of his boxers and tugs them down. Inuyasha has maybe a grand total of three seconds to process what he's looking at before Kagome leans back and grabs at his overnight bag, which had fallen to the floor the second she touched him. "Tell me you have condoms in here."

"Side pocket," he croaks. He wanted them to be easy to find but holy shit, this situation never even crossed his mind before.

Kagome easily gets one from the box, opening the packet and then rolling the condom on him. His hands are doing this horribly awkward flailing thing around her head because he's not sure if he should help or not help or touch her or what if she doesn't like her hair pulled? Or should he say–

" _Shit_ ," he breathes out, head smacking painfully against the door as wet heat envelopes his dick. Oh god, this is happening. He looks down at her, stares for maybe all of four seconds before looking back up at the ceiling with his eyes squeezed tight. All he's asking for is a relatively decent amount of stamina. Kagome will surely forgive him the first time if it's quick but not _that quick_.

She does this thing with her tongue that even the latex doesn't take away from and Inuyasha can't stop the groan that he lets out, one hand sliding into her hair without thinking. This is going to be over way too fast. He dares to open his eyes and watch her, the way her hands smooth down his sides and her lips are wrapped around him.

This is really, horribly embarrassing but– "Up," he says, voice incredibly rough. "Up, up." He barely tugs on her hair, just enough to get the point across and Kagome pulls her mouth off of him, looking up at him with those big brown eyes. He is so utterly fucked. "Bedroom?"

His voice maybe, possibly, cracks a little. " _Yes_."

If he wasn't so turned on, he'd probably jump out of a window. As it stands, he just really, really, _really_ wants to get off with her. Romantically.

She gets up, making sure to press all along his front, hands sliding up his sides. Inuyasha stares at her red, puffy lips and can't help but wrap his arms around her, kissing her until she's breathless and grinding against him. Yeah, they need to get to the bedroom _now_.

Kagome smiles at him, breathing hard and shaking her head as she steps away. Her hand grabs his wrist and then she's taking them both to her room. He nearly dies tripping over his jeans, eventually kicking them off somewhere down the hall just as she opens the curtains surrounding her room. Her bed isn't made, but there isn't anything on the ground. It's literally the only thing he notices before he pushes her onto the bed, watching her bounce slightly. Her legs, still off of the mattress, wrap around him and pull him closer. "Come here," she says, reaching out. Her hands brush against his stomach, unable to do more than caress. He doesn't want to lean down just yet anyways, too intent on looking at her.

She's wearing far too many clothes.

With a calmness that doesn't match earlier, Inuyasha grabs the end of her hooded sweatshirt, tugging it upwards. Kagome arches and then lifts her arms, allowing him to take it off and throw it to the floor. There's a t-shirt underneath but she's already pulling it up, her face disappearing behind the cotton until it's completely off and tossed away. Her pants are next, a slow pull down her legs that wrap back around him immediately when he's done.

"Come here," she says again and this time he leans forward, lips brushing hers.

"You good?" he asks in between one kiss, another.

Kagome nods and threads her hands through his hair, pulling him down, pulling him closer until he has to crawl onto the bed. What it becomes after that is nothing but sensation and Inuyasha is lost in it. His brain is screaming at him to take every moment in because this is _Kagome_ but he couldn't stop himself even if he wanted to. She's been on his mind for so long, a constant need that's been filling him up. Now it's like he's past the brim, spilling over as he kisses her deeper, harder, tongues and teeth clashing.

She's so responsive with every touch of his fingertips on her skin. Inuyasha stares down at her, torn between amazement and disbelief. If someone told him at the beginning of the year that he would be here, in bed with Kagome feeling nothing but emotions he can't quite describe, he wouldn't have believed it. For a long time, he didn't believe it.

The first press of his fingers inside of her gets Kagome moaning, legs squeezing his sides. Her lips won't let his go and she's licking into his mouth like she'll die without him. It's a heady feeling.

"Jesus," he whispers, watching her arch her back and press into him with every curl of his fingers.

"Don't stop," Kagome begs, and he couldn't even if he tried.

His lips dance down her neck, her every gasp and moan a vibration against his mouth. He kisses across her collarbone, licks down her chest until he can push at her bra, still on, with his face until he's sucking on her breasts. The noise she makes, desperate and keening, practically lights his body on fire. He needs her, fuck he needs her.

"Oh god," she breathes, her hips tilting with every thrust of his fingers. She's wet, _beautiful_ , face flushed so her porcelain skin is pink all over. He wants to see it, see how far the blush travels down her body. Instantly, her hands are in his hair, pulling him back up to kiss him with a desperation he's never known outside of this. The sound she makes the moment he presses up against her is the sexiest thing he's ever heard because she sounds like she wants him to never stop, _needs_ him to never stop. She comes with a cut off cry, nails digging into his shoulder blades as every part of her body freezes.

Inuyasha watches her breathe, eyes half-open and hazy with pleasure. "Fuck."

She smiles, soft and slow and nods. "That's the idea."

Unable to help himself, he leans down to kiss her. It's chaste compared to moments before, but somehow even more intimate, like they both know exactly what it means.

She pushes at his shoulder, nudging him until he falls to his side and then his back. Leisurely, Kagome straddles him and smiles. Jesus Christ, she's going to be the death of him.

"Probably," she answers, and fuck, he said that out loud. "Let's find out."

There's literally nothing to describe the feeling of her slowly sinking down on him, her body tight and hot and so fucking perfect he's terrified that in two seconds the whole thing is going to end. It's not going to last long, not with the way she sits back and in a quick, easy motion unclips her bra. It would have taken him a billion tries, maybe a trillion – it's hard to figure out when her hips are grinding down against him, shoving his cock as deep as it can go.

Oh god, he's going to die. _Shit_.

He can't help but touch her everywhere that he can reach, thumbs pressing into her hips and nails scraping across her ribs. She's just as responsive now, head tilted back and tiny, little gasps making their way out her throat as she slides herself up and down. There's no steady or perfect rhythm but it makes no difference. Inuyasha is so lost that it's all he can do to keep up with her, fucking her as deep and hard as she'll allow, her hands on his stomach to brace herself.

Her dark hair is everywhere, spilling over her shoulder, her body arching as she lets out a moan. He doesn't even know the sounds he's making, can't keep track but it's an endless stream of incomprehensible words. It's intense, blinding pleasure. It's hot, clawing, frantic heat that builds and builds. It rolls in waves, crash after powerful crash and Inuyasha can only hold her tighter and tighter, never letting go.

He's not ever fucking letting go.

* * *

Waking up is slow at first, until he realizes he's not in his room.

Inuyasha opens his eyes, staring at an unfamiliar ceiling and unfamiliar curtains. He knows exactly where he is and before he can stop himself, his chest does that weird thing it always does at the thought of Kagome. Slowly, he turns his head on the pillow.

She's fucking beautiful. It's stupid, almost, how much he likes her. She's still sleeping, her dark black hair covering her back and part of her face. Her bare shoulder peeks out from underneath the duvet, hands buried under her pillow.

Inuyasha feels something in him click, an instant ease that takes away the tightness of his chest and brings only warmth. He fucking loves her; that much is certain. He's known for a while and hasn't bothered enough to try and push it back. He's been there and done that.

Rolling onto his side, he carefully brushes away some of the strands of hair covering her face, letting them settle elsewhere. Kagome is so dead to the world it's almost laughable, but Inuyasha doesn't want to be anything but quiet right now.

He's happy.

Burying himself a little further under the duvet, Inuyasha lets the warmth continue to settle over him, dance within him. He closes his eyes and reaches out, just slightly, to feel the matching warmth of her skin on his hand.

* * *

Inuyasha is desperately trying to figure out how the hell to start this new essay. It's going to be the most boring thing he's ever written, and considering this is his third year, that's saying a lot. So far he's written a grand total of five words and the stupid line cursor is blinking at him, almost mockingly. Normally essays aren't a big deal so it makes no sense at all that this is what's stumping him.

It's due in the next couple of days. He really can't put it off any longer and he knows for a fact the night before it's due he's going to be drinking rather than doing this.

So, the essay torture must happen now.

Inuyasha stares at the screen and wills it to write on its own.

His phone vibrating is enough to make him jump a little but he takes the opportunity anyways. Anything to get him to stop staring at the stupid blank document, holy hell. Inuyasha doesn't even check the caller ID; he just answers. "Hello?"

"You promised Myoga you were coming back to visit," Sesshomaru says, all businesslike. Pleasantries are for peasants, apparently.

"Yeah, I will soon. I'm waiting to see what my exam schedule is like," he replies, rolling his eyes hard at the ceiling. "Why?"

"He's excited." Coming from his half-brother, it sounds like the worst fucking thing in the world.

"Maybe if you were less of an asshole–"

"There's a reason I called," Sesshomaru interrupts, cutting as usual. "You'll be receiving in the mail an invitation for the engagement party. It will be late May and you're expected to listen to Rin and do what she wants."

Inuyasha groans. "Oh come on, really? You're planning your own party? And it's like two months from now! How is that an engagement party?"

His half-brother is silent for a moment but he can hear rapid-fire typing. Good to know that he's not worth Sesshomaru's undivided attention. "It was Rin's idea. Now, as the best man you will help."

"How many people will be there?" Inuyasha asks, holding off on any sort of confirmation until he absolutely must.

"Approximately two hundred invited, at last count. Likely higher."

Jesus fucking Christ. Who are they, the Royals? "And I have to _help plan this_?"

"No." Sesshomaru's voice is firm. "You only do what she says."

Oh good. There's just so much up to interpretation. "You didn't even ask me nicely to be your best man. Normally there's like a present and shit."

"What are you, five?"

The urge to stick his tongue out at him is incredibly strong in that moment. He's not proud of it. "Fine. I'll do it. I'll be your best man and I'll help Rin. But one condition."

There's a tiny little exhale that on anyone else would be normally breathing. On Sesshomaru, it's a dramatic sigh about the way his life is out to ruin him. "Tread carefully."

Asshole. "I'm bringing my girlfriend to the party _and_ some of my friends, if they're available. I don't want to be at a party with two hundred people I don't even know."

"Acceptable."

Then the fucker hangs up.

Inuyasha stares at his phone and shakes his head. It's a wonder no one has attempted to kill him, all things considered.

* * *

The door opens and Inuyasha can honestly say that he's been waiting for this moment all night. Even possibly throughout the past month. Moments like these are few and far between and if the world is going to give him the opportunity, he sure as hell is going to take it.

Miroku enters, kicking off his shoes and dropping his backpack. He looks tired but Inuyasha knows it's because this group project is kicking his ass. It's a final and worth a huge percentage of his grade.

Doesn't mean he's not going to have some fun though.

Inuyasha and Kagome are sitting on the couch. She's leaning on him, eyes focused on the screen even as she steals popcorn from the bowl. They're watching some TV show that he's literally not paid any attention to but apparently she's riveted. There's cooking and a lot of yelling. At least two people have had breakdowns. He's not really sure what to make of it. "Hey," he calls out, lifting the hand around Kagome's shoulder to wave at him.

His best friend smiles. "Hey, what are you watching?"

" _MasterChef_ ," Kagome replies. She kicks at the end of the couch. "Want to sit and watch?"

"No, I should get some homework done," Miroku says, sighing. "Thanks though."

Inuyasha shrugs. "Sure. Oh, and Miroku?"

"Yeah?"

Somehow, he manages to keep a completely straight face. Inside, the glee is practically taking over. "Something you should note: this is how a person entering their house should be like. Not instantly closing their eyes because his two best friends are screwing on the communal couch." He waves an arm over them, as if showing off their completely normal state.

Miroku laughs and flips him off. "It's not my fault Sango can't get enough of me."

"It was completely his idea," Kagome adds, pointing at him. "Sango told me all about it. He's lying." She grabs more popcorn and frowns at the TV.

"Liar," Inuyasha states, pointing aggressively at his best friend. "You should be ashamed."

"Considering I've gotten away with it multiple times and you only caught us that once, I think it's _you_ who should be ashamed."

Inuyasha looks down at the couch in horror because _no_. No, no, no, _no_.

"That, unfortunately, is true," Kagome sighs. "Sango is considering getting a spray water bottle to shoot at his face every time he tries to hump her."

Miroku's already gone, probably hiding in his room because he's too scared to face the consequences for what he's done. He's a terrible friend, honestly. It's amazing anyone in Corner House puts up with him. "Well, I guess I know what I'm getting her for Christmas."

Kagome smacks at his chest weakly but her body is shaking from laughter all the same.

* * *

 _Class is cancelled._

Inuyasha frowns down at his phone, reading the text from Kagome. Mythology was his last class of the day and the only chance he got to see Kagome. _Tht sux kinda like that class_

 _Well, yeah. I'm in it._

 _No_

It's a blatant lie. Pathetic is the only way to describe how much his denial is working for him. Kagome knows it because all she texts back is a happy face.

He wants to keep talking to her but Inuyasha hates texting about as much as he hates meeting new people. It's hard to get a read on someone in a message and he's bad enough at that shit in person. Miroku laughs at him for it, but Christ, Inuyasha needs all the help he can get. Before he goes to type something in though, the grey bubble with dots appears.

Thank god Kagome is Kagome.

 _Shall I come over?_

What he wants to write is _pls_. What he does write is _sure_.

Kagome sends him a happy face anyways. Kagome is Kagome, and she knows Inuyasha.

He's disgustingly pleased by it.

* * *

He's not alone.

Inuyasha's not fucking happy about this. The only way he would be is if the person in his room was Kagome. He very distinctly remembers saying goodnight to her last night. She has early morning practice. Ergo, whoever is in his room cannot be her.

"Good morning, stud muffin," Miroku coos, voice so near that Inuyasha recoils and tries to roll away.

"No," he complains. It's too early for this shit. "Go 'way."

" _Happy birthday to you_."

Oh god.

" _Happy birthday to you!"_

No.

" _Happy birthday, dear Inuyasha–"_

Finding a strength he never knew he had, Inuyasha launches himself from the bed and tackles Miroku to the floor, desperately trying to cover his mouth with his hands. It's not working though. It's not–

" _HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOOOOOOOO YOUUUUUUUUUUUU!"_

Inuyasha grabs one of the pillows that fell to the floor and shoves it on top of his best friend's face. It is far too early for this.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yells, voice completely muffled.

Ignoring him, he puts the pillow to use and gets comfortable. The twitchiness is annoying but eventually, it has to stop. Oxygen only lasts so long.

"Inuyasha? Um, I can't really breathe." A weak slap hits his back.

He lets out a happy sigh. Overall, not a bad way to start his birthday.

* * *

His birthday is April 1st, which is basically the best thing to have ever blessed Corner House. According to Hachi, anyways.

"We always have an end of year party but now there's even more reason," Hachi explained once while snacking on crackers. "More people will come."

In what universe Hachi thinks that's true, Inuyasha will never know. In fact, Inuyasha's pretty fucking sure _less_ people will come. But whatever.

"What do you mean, less people will come?" Kagome had asked when Inuyasha felt brave enough to explain.

"I'm not exactly _social_ ," he had replied, because duh.

The look she'd given him was a weird mix of angry and upset. She kissed him though so he said nothing more.

Now... Well.

"Holy shit," Ginta yells over the pounding bass DJ Naraku-the-Fucking-Best is playing. "Who are all of these people?"

It's a valid fucking question because the house is slammed. It's always been busy but this is insane. "Guess everyone is, uh… Excited?" He may or may not be at his best right now. As the birthday boy, anyone can request a shot with him. Most people were people he didn't even know. They would just walk up to him and smile and say 'Happy Birthday!' Like they were friends or something. Or knew each other.

Fucking weird.

"It's called friendliness," Miroku says, rolling his eyes. He's been matching him shot for shot because best bros do that kind of thing. Also probably because he only has two exams and both of them are at the end of the month. Plenty of time to recover. Miroku still grabs at his face, eyes a little unfocused. Or maybe that's just him. "You know what it's like to be friendly, don't lie. You're a cactus on the outside but a marshmallow on the inside."

There's a snort to his left. Unsurprisingly, Hachi is there with beers in hand. "Yeah right. Here, Birthday Marshmallow. Have another."

Inuyasha thinks sticking to beer for the rest of the night is probably a good idea. If the nickname Birthday Marshmallow isn't phasing him, then there's a problem. "I'm not a marshmallow," he tries to argue but it's weak at best. Hachi just smiles around his sip of beer and Miroku flat out laughs. He has terrible friends.

Worst birthday ever.

"Corner House!" Naraku screams into his microphone, the beats getting only slightly quieter. Dear god, this party isn't slowing down. It's a miracle he's being heard at all. "How is everyone doing tonight?" he asks the crowd at large. The answer becomes a deafening sort of drunken roar, girls cheering and men hollering. "Classes are _done_! Quizzes and assignments are _over_!" Inuyasha takes a sip and tries not to think about the billion essays he has to write for finals. "And the best part," Naraku continues, hands cutting across the air in front of him as he gets going, "is that tonight is the birthday of one of Corner House's own."

Inuyasha stops drinking then because no. This is not happening.

"Everybody in this room – and I mean _everybody_ – make some goddamn noise for our birthday boy, _Inuyasha_!"

Oh _no_.

The house literally shakes as everyone screams and DJ-Naraku-the-Fucking-Best nearly blows the speakers with all the bass he's got pumping out of them. Miroku throws his arm around him and jumps on him, Hachi closing in and then there's Kouga, Hakkaku and Ginta jumping around him, hands ruffling at his hair. And maybe it's the alcohol, or maybe it's something else, but Inuyasha can't stop the smile that spreads across his face, head ducking to try and hide his laughter.

Yeah, he's definitely going to blame this on the alcohol, true or not.

"Happy birthday, man," Kouga yells in his ear. Miroku is still attached to him like a leech but somehow the athlete has also managed to get an arm around him, pulling him close. "This is going to be one hell of a year."

And it fucking is. Inuyasha pats Kouga's cheek because they're soulmates and laughs, thanking him.

"Is he laughing?" Hachi asks, pushing the others aside to get a look. "No way!"

Miroku practically coos in his ear. "I know, right? But look at him! He's all good-looking and smart and has a really hot girlfriend who is like, the nicest person ever. How he landed her is beyond all of us, especially with that attitude."

Inuyasha rolls his eyes. "Fuck you my attitude is stellar." Maybe not the best sell. "Kagome knows." Where the hell is she anyways? She was with him for most of the night earlier but got separated at some point talking to other friends.

"I don't think I've ever seen you laugh," Hachi goes on.

There are literally so many people in Corner House celebrating that it's hard to find her. He wants to though with a single-mindedness he's aware is due to the beer in his hands. He takes another sip, still looking over the crowd. She was in some tight skirt and crop top that made Inuyasha nearly walk into a wall the first time he saw her.

"...Like last year, I'm positive you didn't even smile. Never mind laugh! Laughing is like a whole action that you need to involve your body in," Hachi continues. "And now you're laughing! I saw it! With my own eyes. I'm drunk but not _that drunk_. I didn't imagine it, right?"

He keeps talking, but Inuyasha is mostly (entirely) ignoring him and his best friend. There's only one thing on Inuyasha's mind right now.

He spots her among the crowd and like she's just as drawn to him as he is to her, she turns to face him. There's a smile on her face that's happy and devious, rolled into one. He can't look away, even as he takes another sip of his beer.

"Inuyasha? Are you even listening?" Hachi asks, sounding outraged.

"Not even a little."

And then Kagome runs. Her eyes are bright even in the dark room and there's a flush on her face that's not just from the heat. She pushes gently through the crowd of people until she's only a couple feet away. There's no way that he's prepared for the way she launches herself at him, clinging to his neck and making him stumble, beer tilting dangerously in his grip.

Kagome squeaks as Inuyasha falls back into someone, the both of them nearly crashing to the floor. "Whoops?" she offers. The expression on her face is one torn between sheepishness and laughter.

Inuyasha wraps his arm around her and kisses her. Because it's his birthday.

And because he loves her but, you know. Some things don't need to be said just yet.

* * *

Kagome's groaning. It's not in the good way.

Sighing himself, Inuyasha turns to watch her glare at her textbook. It's some consumer behaviour course, he thinks. She told him once and he was too busy staring at her lips to really pay attention. "That good, huh." It's not a question.

Kagome rolls onto her back, head now lying on her textbook where her hair partially covers some weird pink graph. Communications is weird. He didn't even think it was a real degree. "It's not hard there's just so much to remember. I feel like all I do is go through definitions a billion times."

He looks at his own essay which is only half-finished. Fine. A quarter finished. There's only so much work he expects to do when Kagome's around, especially on his bed. It doesn't matter how many times Kagome's adamant that they actually study during study sessions. He's still going to think about it.

She's staring at him now, a brow raised.

"What?" he asks. A huge part of him really wants to turn away and go back to his essay. Sometimes he thinks it would be easier if Kagome didn't act like she knew him so well. Then again, it's probably not an act.

"I think you zoned out for a bit there," Kagome says casually. "I even asked you a question and all you did was keep staring at me."

Ah. _Awkward_.

"I was asking if you're planning on going home at all during the summer. You said something before about sticking around here."

He shrugs. "I'll go back for a week or so. I was recently informed that I got an internship; it's not exactly close to here or home."

"You applied for an internship? Where?" Kagome asks, sitting up now.

" _I_ didn't apply for an internship," Inuyasha corrects. He sighs and saves his essay, closing the laptop down. "My asshole half-brother got it for me. Long story short, the internship is more for him than me. It's some place called Purified."

"Oh." Kagome frowns. "Would you rather not do it?"

"No. Maybe?" He hasn't exactly talked about this, not even with Miroku. "Sesshomaru took over Dad's company. He's always worked with him so it's not a surprise. There was a good chance I was going to start working with him once I got a degree. I like poli-sci but it's not…" He shrugs. "That was kind of the game plan, in a sense. I never really worried too much about it because if I didn't work with him, I would just stay in school for my Masters. School is easy. People, not so much."

"And now since it's just the two of you, you don't want to work with Sesshomaru?" Kagome asks. He can tell she's watching him carefully. Inuyasha is well aware, thank you very much, he's not a damn sharer.

"Just didn't think about it," Inuyasha replies, honestly. He didn't. His thoughts this year were very present-focused rather than future. Even with his father's passing he never thought ahead. "But this is a good opportunity so it would be dumb to not take it." Why are they still talking about this? Inuyasha doesn't want to, not anymore, so he leans over and lets his hand sit low on her hip.

"You know the place I'm teaching archery over the summer?" Kagome asks. She's looking at him with this fond little smile, like she knows exactly what he's trying to do. Inuyasha keeps at it anyways. He nods, lets his thumb brush under her shirt so he's touching her warm skin. "They didn't want me to go to school initially. Not in a mean way; they just wanted my focus to be on archery. I'd still go to school but I'd be an athlete before a student. I didn't want that even though a lot of people thought it would be dumb of me to do so."

"Uh-huh," Inuyasha mumbles, leaning in. Because talking about Kagome leaving for the summer is actually _worse_ than talking about his feelings on things. Both need to stop.

"When I go home–" And _no_ , absolutely fucking not. Inuyasha cuts off that sentence with a kiss, leaning over further so that he can push her back down into the mattress.

"Studying," Kagome murmurs against his lips, kissing him right after the words are out, hot and slick and perfect.

Inuyasha hums, bites at her lower lip. "Later."

* * *

Exams are over but instead of feeling the usual relief, all Inuyasha gets is a sense of fear, deep in his gut. He's never had a solid girlfriend before, someone who is more than a couple dates or a casual hook-up. He doesn't want to let Kagome go. He's not being childish, he's _not_. He sure as hell isn't going to say any of this out loud.

She's smiling at him, arms around his neck and on her tiptoes. He's basically holding her up against the door anyways, looking at her dark eyes and lips puffy from kissing. "I can see you freaking out," she says, shaking her head.

"I'm not freaking out," he replies, because that's what he always argues with.

"Uh-huh." Kagome leans up to kiss him again, quick and chaste. "I'll see you soon."

This is the part where he's supposed to let her go, because her mom and brother are downstairs with all of her belongings packed away. She's moving back home for the summer and while it's not an impossible distance away from Corner House, it still feels _wrong_.

"Inuyasha."

"What?"

She gives him a tiny smile and really? What is it about this doorway that makes Inuyasha think of all the damn memories? Because this smile right now is bringing him back to the first day he met her, when he was brashly saying that sleeping under a tree was good for him, or whatever, and she wasn't taking any of his bullshit. That tiny smile doesn't do him in, but damn, it gets close.

Kagome unravels one hand from his hair and pokes him in the face, none too gently. It's not an answer but it doesn't have to be.

Holding on to her is only going to make it weird. Inuyasha knows this and yet his body almost refuses to cooperate. He's a sad human being. Accepting this, he slowly backs away and lets her down, watching the tiny smile lift a little larger on her face.

"I'll call you tonight, okay?" Kagome says.

Inuyasha nods.

This is not the time to panic.

* * *

Miroku takes one look at him later that evening and bursts out laughing. "Holy shit, you are _whipped_."

Inuyasha looks from his best friend to his other best friend. Sango's currently getting a foot rub while reading what looks to be a romance novel. Miroku is literally doing nothing but rubbing her feet. "I bet Sango didn't even ask for a massage. She just put her foot on your lap and gave you a stern look."

Sango nods and flips a page. "Pretty much, yep."

"But I'm getting laid after," Miroku replies, all puffed up and proud.

Laughing out loud, Sango shakes her head. She doesn't even bother looking up from the novel. "Whatever you want to tell yourself."

While his best friend looks stricken, Inuyasha slowly backs away from the room, making sure Miroku's eyes are on him before he pretends to snap a whip and mouth _wh-cha!_

* * *

"I don't like it."

Inuyasha stares at the glass fishbowls. His life is a miserable existence.

"But, maybe? I mean, if I add in the dirt and rocks and plants…" Rin trails off, grabbing yet another fishbowl that looks like every other fishbowl before it. "I guess I could like it."

He waits. This is not the end.

"Ugh, but it looks like something you put fish in which is not at all what you put dirt and plants in." She puts the fishbowl back and then lazily swipes at the $1 price tag stuck to the bowl. "And those stickers will be a bitch to get off."

Looking up at the ceiling, he wonders if taking summer classes was the smarter thing to do. Too late now, of course, but fuck it if he can't idly wonder what could've been.

"And yet, they are a dollar. Reasonably priced, I would say." Rin finally turns to look at him, brows furrowed. "What do you think?"

"I think it's a fishbowl," Inuyasha replies because yes, he's the best man but that doesn't mean he's a goddamn decorator. "And that you guys can afford to buy the $5 terrarium bowls back at the last terrible store we were at."

Rin sighs but nods all the same. "Yeah, you're right. They would definitely look better and I think the roundedness would go better with the rounded candles and marbles."

Marbles. Fucking marbles.

"You know best," he says, as nicely as he can manage. It's not like he and Rin have hung out a lot. In fact, this is probably only the fourth time ever since meeting her. For some reason, the tiny black-haired woman is adamant that Inuyasha is her guy for getting things done for this engagement party, and further, the wedding.

A part of him hopes this engagement party goes down in literal flames.

Rin smiles at him and grabs his wrist, dragging him from the store and back into the warmer, spring air. The weather has finally been turning into something almost pleasant, the rain holding off until nighttime. Once they're outside she doesn't let go of him but tugs him towards her tiny white car. "Let's get lunch, on me. It's the least I can do. You've honestly been such a help."

He's maybe said a total of twenty words the entire day. Inuyasha holds back his snort, but it's a near thing. When he looks back at Sesshomaru's fiancée, the urge to do so dies down viciously anyways. Her smile is huge and friendly, reminding him of Kagome. It strikes him then that Rin is far, far too good to be with his asshole half-brother. "You've done literally everything," Inuyasha says. "There is a lot more planning than I thought."

"Right?" Rin groans and starts the car. "I mean, I'm lucky that I work odd-hours so I can do a lot of the planning during the day. Once this is done I'll be able to focus instead of the wedding but god, there's so much to do." She glances at him before turning back to the road. "Sesshomaru says I should get a wedding planner."

"We both know that I never agree with Sesshomaru if I can help it," Inuyasha replies, rolling his eyes. "But that's not a bad idea. Considering you have how many guests so far planned?"

"Oh my god, let's not talk about it." Rin waves her hand at him as if to distract him, nearly hitting him in the face twice. "Let's talk about you, huh?"

Nope. He'd much rather not, thank you very much.

"How's Kagome?"

Oh. Inuyasha squirms in his seat, crossing his arms. It's not a fucking defensive position, not matter what the books say. "She's good. Sore because of all the archery she's doing. Teaching and training at the same time is worse than practice at school."

"Do you miss her?"

Inuyasha frowns because this is getting closer and closer to sounding like Girl Talk. He's not about that unless it's Miroku and both of them are drunk. Even then, it's not something one discusses after.

Manliness and all that.

Rin rolls her eyes at him. "Oh come on, you big baby. I saw how mopey you were after you finished talking to her on the phone last night."

"I wasn't mopey."

Rin pokes him in the cheek. It only hurts a little. "Like the eighth dwarf, I kid you not."

"Hilarious."

"At least someone thinks so. When are you seeing her next?"

Inuyasha shrugs. He refuses to admit the he was moping _but_. Well. Maybe he was a little. Myoga made him promise to hang out for the week and help Rin out, spend some family time. Inuyasha's hoping that he'll be able to drive up and see her, maybe go out for the day and do something. She's working a lot though.

Things are definitely simpler when school's their only focus.

Rin hums, rightfully understanding his silence for the non-answer it is. "How far away does she live?"

"From here? A few hours. From school though only about an hour."

"Well, I know things are kind of crazy with the engagement party so soon but after that's settled why don't you see if she can take a week off work and come here?"

Blinking, Inuyasha frowns at Rin. "Huh?"

"Invite her to spend the week here! Take her to the city and then get a cab back. Do couple things. I don't know! Sesshomaru and I left the honeymoon phase a long time ago."

That's a complete and total lie. Rin looks at him with the biggest heart-eyes he's ever seen and Sesshomaru– Well, he looks less constipated around her so that has to count for something.

"Plan some days together, even if they're a month from now," Rin says gently. "Both of you will be happier for it."

Other than Myoga, Inuyasha has never had anyone to go to for advice. Sesshomaru is so far off-limits that Santa Claus is more available for that kind of stuff. Miroku has always been there for him but it's different. "Thanks," he says, voice coming out rougher than he'd like.

Rin beams at him and he thinks, yet again, that Sesshomaru doesn't deserve her at all.

* * *

Inuyasha hates everything.

Why? It's simple: feelings are hard and recently, he's had a lot of them. Life was simpler when this shit didn't faze him.

He tightens his grip on the steering wheel, even though the car is already parked and off. He's parked on one of the many streets in the subdivision, just a few houses down from Kagome's place. She told him it was best to not park directly out front because her neighbours were nosy and for all intents and purposes, this was a secret. He's only met Ms. Higurashi once and she seemed really cool, but two days ago Kagome called him and asked him to come over because both her mother and brother would be away. _Away_. Which meant time alone for the first time in quite a while.

Nothing to worry about, honestly.

Inuyasha hates himself. Everything else is just projecting. He shouldn't be nervous but there's a part of him that wonders if the time apart was a bad thing. He's never been in a relationship to really know and he and Kagome didn't start dating until near the end of the year. They've been official for three months and for two of them they spent a lot of time together.

Inuyasha never thought he'd see the day where he wished summer break didn't exist. And yet.

If things are awkward between them, Inuyasha doesn't even know what he'll do. It's not like he's naturally inclined to alleviate those situations.

He needs to get out of the car. This is fucking ridiculous. The longer he sits here, the worse things are going to seem. They've talked on the phone nearly every night. Things are _fine_.

They don't feel fine as he trudges towards her house, climbing up the steps of her porch and then ringing the doorbell. In fact, Inuyasha feels dread. A lot of it. A whole bag of dread just resting on him, waiting for him to collapse.

The door unlocks and he braces himself. It's depressing.

But then Kagome is grinning at him and throwing herself out the door into his arms. He barely catches her and doesn't even have time to get a word out before she's kissing him.

"I'm so happy you're here," Kagome breathes, beaming at him. She kisses him again, once, twice. Inuyasha can't do much more than respond, hands tightening around her so that she doesn't take a step back. He doesn't think right now he could handle it.

And Christ, he is a _sap_. There's a voice in his head, sounding suspiciously like Miroku, calling him a cheesy idiot. A good looking, cheesy idiot, but an idiot all the same.

"Hey," he croaks, managing to force the word out.

Kagome huffs out a laugh and grabs his hand, pulling him into the house. "So I assume you want the tour later."

"I do?"

She glances at him over her shoulder, eyebrow raised. "You do." Then she tugs him up the stairs.

Inuyasha is surprised when the first thing she does is close her bedroom door, forcing his bag off his shoulder and then pulling at his jacket. It takes him a second to realize– _Right_. He's smarter than this. He really is.

Her face is in his hands while he kisses her and the both of them nearly crash into her dresser on the way to the bed. He tries so hard to get lost in everything about her, the way she touches him and kisses him and watches him with her dark eyes. Even together, writhing on the sheets he's still dumbstruck, a bit confused but unable to stop himself or slow anything down. He wants Kagome always. He's missed her.

He just wasn't expecting this.

Later, she's curled tight around him, her naked body pressed against his. The sheets are cool but her room is almost too warm; the sun coming in through the window is like being under a magnifying glass. Regardless, no part of him wants to move. Inuyasha tilts his head to stare at her, the way she breathes in and out.

"Have you had lunch yet?" she asks quietly, opening one eye to peer at him.

He shakes his head. He didn't feel good before and only felt worse the closer he got to her house. Even now, sated and kind of sleepy, his body feels like it wants to run. It's like there's a part of his brain that refuses to back down.

"We have stuff in the fridge. You okay with sandwiches?"

"Yeah, sounds good," he responds, voice rough.

Suddenly Kagome leans up on an elbow, dark brown gaze boring into him. "Okay, you're tense as hell. What's going on?"

"I'm not tense." Lie. Lie, lie, _lie._

Kagome glares now, more serious than he's ever seen her. "You've been weird since I opened the door. It's not like you're a chatterbox but normally I get a couple words out of you. So, I'm going to ask again: what's going on?"

He can't stop the flinch at her words and Kagome looks almost horrified. He can see the wheels practically turning in her head. "It's not— I'm fine. I didn't know what to expect."

She seems almost angry now and he's definitely never seen this look on her. "What, the sex?"

"No!"

"Then _what_ , Inuyasha? Give me something to work with," Kagome practically begs, gaze intense.

How does he say this? How does he explain something he doesn't even understand himself? But Kagome isn't going to give him the option of getting out of this and she doesn't deserve him trying to anyways. "I just didn't expect to see you after all this time apart and have nothing change," he blurts, perplexed with himself as the words bleed out. Fuck.

Her expression doesn't soften but she doesn't open her mouth to argue with him either. Shit, when did this become a fight?

"I've never…" He waves his hand absently in the air, trying to encompass ' _date_ ' without having to voice it. "And I like you. A lot." He fucking loves her but now is so not the time. This isn't a damn rom-com. "I haven't seen you in weeks."

Inuyasha can feel the moment she deflates. She hangs her head forward, resting it on his bare chest. "Inuyasha, babe, not seeing me doesn't mean breaking up. It means we live far away from each other temporarily."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder?" he asks, self-deprecating. It's a joke but it's very much not.

Kagome shakes her head but she's reaching out to lay a hand on his jaw. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't you ever assume that I am."

"But—"

"Nope." Kagome points at him aggressively. "No, you don't get to make the decision for me. Don't you dare end this relationship before I get to even have a say."

Inuyasha blinks. "I didn't mean _that_."

"It sounded like it," Kagome replies softly. "And I like you a lot too, so relax. We're still good."

He pulls her closer until she's practically laying on top of him. Her bangs are in his face, tickling his forehead. "You're going to have to be patient as shit with me," he admits, frowning.

Kagome rolls her eyes. "I waited months for you to ask me out on a single date. I'm pretty sure I can be patient with you. I didn't exactly walk into this blind."

Blind enough, but Inuyasha keeps his mouth shut. He leans up and kisses her instead, slow and as apologetic as he can get.

"Sandwiches?" Kagome asks eventually, brushing her lips chastely against his.

"Mm-hm."

"Netflix?"

"And chill?"

"Now you sound like Miroku," Kagome whines. She brushes his hair back before sitting up though, reaching for the nearest piece of clothing.

Inuyasha shrugs and watches. He's not in any sort of rush. "Hey, he and Sango are still going strong. All he does is send me pictures of the two of them."

"Doing what?"

Good question. Nothing interesting to him, but that doesn't stop his best friend from hounding him. Miroku's excuse is that if he had social media, he wouldn't get the text messages. "Stuff. They went to some park yesterday. He sent me a video of him eating sand when Sango tripped him." He saved that video. What were best friends for?

They find just enough clothing to get downstairs and make sandwiches, Kagome telling him to butter the bread while she gets the lettuce and meat. They end up watching _The Office_ of all things and when Kagome coos at Jim and his stupid face, Inuyasha distracts her by ruffling the hell out of her hair, making it impossible to see.

"Stop it!" Kagome complains, after the fifth time he's done it. Jim makes a lot of stupid faces.

Inuyasha waits until she's looking at him, disgruntled. He shrugs at her and does the lopsided grin thing, staring into her eyes exactly like he would a camera.

"I hate you," she says.

She tackles him anyways and kisses the expression right off his face.

* * *

"This is…"

Inuyasha sighs and nods.

"It's, like…"

Another nod.

Kagome bursts out laughing. "I got to give this Rin girl credit. She outdid herself."

Almost his entire group of friends – Miroku, Kouga, Hakkaku, Ginta, Sango and Ayame – all simply stare, mouths open. Honestly, it was Inuyasha's reaction too, the first time he saw the backyard. It's like they left the normality of someone's front yard the second they stepped through the gate to the back, and entered a fairy world of lights, glitter and gold. If this is the engagement party, Inuyasha is loath to see what's going to happen for the actual wedding.

"And you helped with this?" Hakkaku asks. His eyes haven't left the fountain of chocolate yet. Yeah, the fountain of chocolate.

"I picked the bowls for the centrepieces," he replies. He also _made_ the centrepieces for a solid nine hours one day because he was forced to. Well, kind of. If forced means that he woke up one morning to Rin's sobbing, red face going on and on about the billions of things she had left to do and that the centrepieces were never going to get done, then yes. Forced. Inuyasha had told her he'd do all of them just to make her get out of the house. Her crying was weird and really uncomfortable. The woman was never anything but happy as fuck, but like, on steroids. Her crying was just… _weird_. There was no better word.

"Hi there!" Said cheerful disposition broke into the group. Rin looked as pretty as always in an orange and white dress with her hair half-back. There wasn't a single thing about her that made you think she could be the bride. Well, aside from the monstrosity of a diamond on her finger. "You must all be Inuyasha's friends! Sesshomaru! Come over here!"

Sighing, because he was desperately hoping to avoid this, Inuyasha glares at her. "Now? Really?"

Rin sticks her tongue out at him and then in a flash goes back to her lovely, smiling self. "Which one is Kagome?"

Inuyasha groans the same time that Kagome steps forward, holding out her hand. "It's so nice to meet you," his girlfriend says, as friendly as ever. He's going to die though, honestly. Every time he imagined his friends here, he pictured them hiding way in the background. There were two hundred guests; surely, Sesshomaru and Rin would be preoccupied. Apparently not enough.

Rin's smile couldn't get any bigger, even if she wanted it to. "Inuyasha talks about you literally all the time. It's great to finally put a face to the name. You're so beautiful! Inuyasha, I'm so proud of you!"

Oh god. Even worse. Inuyasha can't do anything but glare at the nearby tree, even as his brother joins the conversation. Everyone is introducing themselves now and sure, Inuyasha should probably have been the person to do it. Whatever. He's a little irritated right now.

An elbow to his side makes him scowl and Kagome snorts at him, elbowing him once more. "She should be proud of you," Kagome says pointedly. "What's the matter?"

He wants to say it's too much. Too many people, too weird of a situation. The fact that he's willingly at home and _not_ wanting to kill Sesshomaru has only be a recent development he's getting used to. Actively introducing them to his half-brother is like crossing a line he never imagined would exist.

"I've been terrified of the day that you two meet," he says finally, gesturing towards Rin. She's shaking hands with Sango now and cooing over Ayame's hair. Girls. Jeez.

"What's the worst that can happen?" Kagome asks. Her dark eyes are dancing with mirth, lips tugging upwards. "I'll tell you: she doesn't like me and then we have to spend the rest of our lives having really awkward holiday dinners. It's not the end of the world, Inuyasha."

She tells him this like it's the easiest thing in the world. In fact, it _is_. Inuyasha pictures it so clearly in his mind that all he can do is blink at her. Because all this time he's been waiting for a shoe to drop – and hell, it may still – but Kagome's operating on the assumption that this is it. Inuyasha's _it_.

Holy fuck.

"Let's get drinks, shall we Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru breaks in, voice as flat as usual. You'd think at his engagement party he'd at least crack a smile. Apparently fucking not.

"Uh."

"Charming, as always. Excuse us," Sesshomaru says, grabbing Inuyasha tightly around the elbow and all but dragging him towards the bar that's been set up outside. The damn thing looks like it was crafted out of gold.

"Not to be rude," Inuyasha starts and then winces, because _really_? The intention is there. "Why the fuck are you dragging me away for drinks? You have like a billion waiters walking around!"

"Because you looked one moment away from having a breakdown and that would cause Rin great distress. And then I'd have to console her. And then I'd have you murdered." Sesshomaru orders eight shots of some alcohol Inuyasha wasn't even aware existed.

"I think murdering me would distress Rin out some more, honestly," Inuyasha replies, just to be a little shit. "She fucking loves me. Probably because I show a grand total of five emotions compared to your zero."

Sesshomaru stares at him stonily, lips in a firm line.

"See? Exactly." Inuyasha thanks the bartender and grabs the tray of shots. "And there's no breakdown happening over here. I'm fine."

"You're unbearable."

"Love you too, asshole. Now fucking look like you're enjoying yourself, my god. We're not celebrating your upcoming execution."

Sesshomaru punches him in the shoulder. It's not as hard as he could have, most likely because he's holding all the shots. But when Inuyasha looks over, Sesshomaru's doing this weird constipated thing with his face, as if he's trying to reconfigure it and doesn't know how.

Inuyasha shouldn't be amused because his half-brother is a raging dickhead who wouldn't know kindness if it smashed his head in.

He's amused all the same.

* * *

"It's like they don't feel things like tiredness," Ginta says, leaning his elbow on the table with his face in his hand. He's staring out at the dancing crowd where Inuyasha knows Kagome, Rin, Sango and Ayame are singing at the top of their lungs, doing some kind of dance that's not grinding but also not much of anything else. Girls are confusing. None of them are even drunk.

Just… Dancing.

"It's a female secret," Miroku replies, nodding along. "When they hear their favourite song followed by yet another equally favourite song, the female body is rejuvenated back to full dancing life."

"I'm secretly hoping to go to bed soon," Hakkaku says.

Ginta snorts. "Not so secret."

"Hey," Miroku murmurs suddenly, nudging Inuyasha to get his attention. His phone is passed over, Instagram open. "Did you see the photo I took of you guys? I'm a master photographer."

Inuyasha glares at him. He wasn't aware there were pictures being taken _at all_.

"At least Kagome was grateful," Miroku mutters, rolling his eyes.

Inuyasha ignores him and looks down. At first he's horrified because he looks incredibly pleased, happier than maybe any photo out there. He remembers the exact moment the photo was taken, just a few hours ago. He and Kagome had been dancing when some drunk woman pushed into them, making them stumble. He'd been about to say _something_ when Kagome clamped her hand over his mouth. She had that same guilty and amused look on her face that she always did, because his girlfriend couldn't ever experience just _one_ emotion. At first, he'd been confused and then he licked her hand because fuck it. No one would know. No one was paying attention to them.

Kagome had jerked back, laughing and partially falling backwards while Inuyasha was smug and trying to catch her.

Miroku, it seems, had been paying attention.

The photo is in black and white and the caption simply reads: _Crazy? Nah, just crazy in love._

"She even gave me photo cred–"

"You're a _genius_ ," Inuyasha responds. He pats Miroku on the back and smirks at him. "Best fucking friends."

"Always got your back, bro," Miroku says, grinning.

Inuyasha hands the phone over and stands up. By now, he's not even surprised to find that when he looks over at Kagome, she's already staring back at him, a smile on her face that rivals the sun.

 _The sun_.

He's in so deep, too deep, but right now the thought doesn't scare him any. She's reaching out to him, come hither in her dark brown gaze. He takes one step forward, and then another.

And then he doesn't stop.

* * *

 **The End**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** This story would not be possible without any of you. That's right. You. You guys welcomed me back to this fandom with such kindness and encouragement; it literally blew my mind. The fact that so many of you had reached out to me personally was just… Honestly guys, you're the best.

I don't deserve you, but I love you so, so much.

I hope you enjoyed _Tell Me I'm Crazy_. It's the first story in about 5 years I've been able to complete which is a huge thing for me, personally. It's really driven me to write more. And trust me, there is so much more.

In the next couple of days, you can expect the first part of _Pennies and Dimes_ to be posted. Unlike this story, I will not be re-writing the whole ending so updates should be every week.

Also, I have my personal website up and running again. It's more of a place for fun stuff but I will soon be uploading PDF versions of stories I've written for many of you. You can find the link to my blog on my profile page.

Thank you, thank you, thank you again, from the bottom of my little wicked heart.

Love,

Witchy

* * *

 **Responses to Anon Reviewers:**

 _ThatGirl:_ Oh there is definitely tons more coming! There's a section of my new site dedicated to all of the upcoming works but my biggest one is called _That Flesh of Mine_. It'll likely be posted after _Pennies and Dimes_ is finished! Thank you so much dear for sticking it out with me on this ride. I really appreciate all of your kindness throughout this story. You're a star!

 _Booketh:_ I really wanted to write something clever back but my brain is so fried it's not even happening. Anyways, thank you :)

 _Brookster:_ It is, in fact, the end. But there's more on the horizon for other stories and I hope you stick around for those too. Thank you!


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